How to Get Out of Bed When You Suffer from IBS

You may be surprised to learn that having Irritable Bowel Syndrome can make it hard to get out of bed. Unless you have it.

Photo: Ashok Acharya DuMgjsonvvg

Most people think IBS is a gut problem that sends you to the bathroom.

And it is.

But it's so much more. Most people who are unafflicted by the malady don't know that. Not that there's any reason they should.

That's why I wanted to write about it.

I have suffered from IBS for as long as I can remember. My mother liked to joke that she gave me the right name. Ha ha ha. In my teens I started to note in public places where the bathrooms were. In college I started watching what I ate, noting that certain foods triggered me more than others.

But then later, my symptoms shifted. (IBS sufferers often experience this.) Foods that used to be "safe" no longer were, and others that I once avoided I could now eat.

And symptoms shifted in other ways as well.

IBS originally manifested itself to me as a dull pain or feeling of bloat on my left side, along with a certain, minor amount of fatigue. As time went on, the tight feeling shifted to include the four corners of my midsection. A look at a cutaway of the human body showed the large intestine bent in three of these spots, and connected to the small intestine via the cecum in the fourth.

Pains in these areas came and went over the years. But gradually the intestinal aches receded into the background. New symptoms began to manifest instead. I would feel achy all over. Tired. A little unsteady on my feet. I would experience brain fog. Depression. I would not want to get out of bed.

For a while, I actually thought I might be dying of...something. I know that sounds melodramatic, but it's not. My symptoms ticked the boxes of some pretty scary diseases more than they did the "classic" symptoms of IBS.

So I had a battery of tests. All found nothing. And I'm still here, years later. I've come to realize the feelings of malaise and a strange discomfort inside my own body are yet other manifestations of IBS. Some recent theory is that the nervous system may be involved, may even be the cause of it all. This is known as the brain-gut connection and it does not surprise me for one second.

On days when I am afflicted with IBS, I often don't want to get out of bed. I feel weak, both physically and mentally. That's a factor that many non-sufferers don't understand: IBS affects your brain as much as your gut. Maybe even more. At least, that's been my experience as it has advanced and changed in me over the years.

I wonder how many days of productivity are lost to IBS. We can't know because I'll bet most of the people who call out from work give reasons other than IBS, more conventional ones. Your boss won't understand that you can't come in because you've got a "tummy ache" or "the runs." Or admitting you suffer from IBS may just be too embarrassing.

I don't know if the aches and pains cause feelings of depression (there is a strong link between IBS and chronic depression) or the depression makes the aches and pains feel worse, but one thing I have noticed is when I have IBS, all discomfort, all sensation, feels magnified, like my perceptions are being routed through a house of mirrors. These are some symptoms that have only recently been recognized: IBS affects your mental well-being, sometimes drastically.

That's why you have to get out of bed and move around, even when there's nothing you want to do less. Hard as it is, it's the first step to feeling better.

1. Just sit up. "Just do it," as the sneaker people say. There! You did step one. Be proud. Take a breath and just get used to the feeling of sitting up.

   
   

2. Climb out of bed. It isn't easy. You don't want to leave those warm, soft covers. Everything feels hard. Taking a shower is the hardest part. It's cold and the floor is hard and the water can actually hurt as it hits my body. These may not be your symptoms and for years they weren't mine. Until they were.

   
   

3. Get dressed and start thinking about breakfast. Breakfast when I've got full-blown gastric issues? Yes. You still have to eat. Just eat small if you have to, and eat something relatively safe, like fresh fruit. Have a cup of tea. Take stock of your day, of everything other than your IBS. Try not to dwell on how you feel and you'll feel it less. (It can be tough, I know.)

   
   

4. Start doing small tasks that make you move around. Your aches and pains get worse the longer you lie in bed (or sit on the couch). I know it feels awful at first but get up and move. It will get you feeling better faster.

   
   

5. Go outside and move some more. If it's a nice day (or even if it isn't), go outside and take a walk. You're going to feel bad at first, but after about 15 or 20 minutes your body will release endorphins and endocannabinoids, and you'll start to feel better. Walking also improves your immune system and relieves feelings of stress, which are often tied to IBS.

   
   

6. Keep walking! After about 60 minutes, the brain releases a chemical with the catchy name brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a molecule that helps mood, learning and memory. And our mood is something we want to boost, remember?

   
   

7. Keep your route either close to home or a reliable public restroom, however. Exercise can "stir things up," so to speak, and you may find yourself needing a restroom suddenly.

   
   

The benefits of walking continue even after you finish, however. Other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, kick in 2 to 4 hours later—you'll get this post-exercise mood lift and overall feeling of contentment. Dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are the same chemicals released by many not-so-healthy activities such as smoking cigarettes and marijuana and drinking alcohol. Here you get the benefits without the deleterious health effects.

Even if you can't manage 60 minutes—or 30—any amount of walking is beneficial if you suffer from the effects of IBS. (Actually, it's beneficial, period.) If you can't manage a long walk at first, work up to it. Fifteen minutes, then 20, then half an hour. It gets easier.

If the weather is terrible, do something physical around the house, even if it's just cleaning up clutter or doing the dishes. Or if you have a treadmill or a gym membership, you can go for a walk that way.

In part II, I'll tell you my secret for not getting debilitating IBS attacks nearly as often, a secret it took me years to discover, simple as it is. In the meantime, best of luck with your own IBS, and feel free to pass along any coping strategies that have worked for you in the comments.