Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS in short, is one of those health issues that is highly common and problematic but still not definitively diagnosable. There’s no way to get rid of this problem forever, but if you follow some best practices you can certainly cure your IBS to a large extent. Here we’re going to share with you 6 such ways to cure your IBS symptoms easily. Let’s get started:
#1. High-fiber diet
cereal
Lack of fiber can cause constipation, which is a major symptom of IBS. If you consume enough fiber everyday (that is at least 30 grams of fiber, and it include both prebiotics as well as probiotics), you won’t have to cope with constipation and irregular bowel movement. So including fiber-rich food items in your diet (i.e. bananas, potatoes, shredded wheat cereal, steel-cut oatmeal, etc.) is a good starting point to cure IBS.
#2. Moderate exercises
A healthy lifestyle affects almost all problems of your health, including IBS. It affects the psychological and physical triggers of IBS, thus making you less vulnerable to the problem. For example, stress is a major trigger for symptoms of IBS. Nerves in our colon control the contractions of colon muscles, and that’s how they keep things moving properly.
But in the condition of stress these nerves can contract more than usual, thus causing abdominal pain and constipation. Moderate exercise (i.e. cardiovascular exercises, breathing exercises, etc.), on the other hand, cures not only stress but also constipation when done for 30 minutes per day. That way it can become your tool to cure IBS.
#3. Stress management and relaxation techniques
As I said above, stress is a major trigger for IBS symptoms. The more you manage your stress, the better you can deal with IBS. Learn to say no, and don’t accept too many requests to create extra stress in your life. Eat healthily and avoid processed foods. Take enough sleep (6-8 hrs), and avoid consuming drugs, alcohol or other compulsive behaviors to escape from stress as they can rather increase your stress in the long-term. Try meditation and other relaxation techniques as well.
#4. Eliminating foods that trigger the symptoms
milk
There’re multiple symptoms of IBS, and depending on who you’re, how your body is, and the type of environment you live in, each of them may be triggered by a certain type of food. For example, there’re lactose intolerant people who feel bloated after drinking milk or consuming dairy products. Similarly, some people feel better vis-à-vis their IBS symptoms by reducing consumption of Gluten-containing foods (i.e. wheat, barley etc).
#5. Drinking more water
Whether the dominant symptom of IBS is diarrhea or constipation, water is very important for you. If your dominant symptom is diarrhea (this type of IBS is known as IBS-D), you get dehydrated faster than usual, which is why you need to drink water (to stay hydrated). On the other hand, if your dominant symptom is constipation (aka IBS-C), drinking water can help in improving your bowel movement through the intestines.
#6. Getting enough sleep
I mentioned the sleep part in the section of stress, but it’s so important that I thought it will be a good idea to repeat it once again. If you’re not getting enough sleep, other efforts to cure your IBS may not yield the best results.
While there doesn’t seem to be any direct relation between sleep and IBS, don’t underestimate the impact of sleep on your gut health. Lack of sleep for one or two days won’t trigger your symptoms, but if don’t take enough sleep regularly for a few days then the symptoms of IBS may start making their presence felt. That is because lack of sleep leads to stress (and stress leads to lack of sleep – it is a vicious cycle), which is a trigger for IBS symptoms.
Conclusion
These 6 steps, if followed with strict discipline, can help you cure your IBS to a large extent. Diet, physical activity and lifestyle are 3 areas that lead to most health issues. These methods are aimed at targeting all these 3 areas to cure the issue of IBS. Implement them in your life and feel the difference for yourself.
