Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by IBS symptoms. Exactly. And if you deal with IBS symptoms ever so often, then you know that they tend to strike at the worst, possibly time, and bring hell to your day for what seems like forever.
But here’s the thing: there is a way to make IBS symptoms less (backed by science or not), and it works. Before that, let’s find out what’s actually happening (and what’s this IBS business). Irritable Bowel Syndrome (or IBS for short) affects the digestive system and causes discomfort.
The common result of IBS is excessive gas, abdominal pain, and occasional cramps. Clearly, nothing to be desired. Luckily, these five tips have you covered as far as dealing with IBS is concerned:
5 tips to deal with IBS symptoms
Identify your unique symptoms
The symptoms vary from person to person, so the symptoms hit differently depending on the person. Still, abdominal pain is the order of the day. You may, however, experience cramps, excessive gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.
Knowing these unique symptoms will help you get a handle on the symptoms before the pain weighs on you. That way, you can even plan your day accordingly.
Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best
Most of the time, IBS symptoms can be treated at home. The secret is to prepare to soothe the pain as much as you can. That includes medical and non-medical options. Keep a heating pad or water bottle nearby to counter the pain.
A healthy cup of herbal tea is known to soothe digestive symptoms. If the worst comes to pass, probiotics are considered a nuclear option. These will come in handy, so best to buy in advance.
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Try relaxation
Stress is a major catalyst for IBS symptoms. An easy tool you can use to calm your body is to learn relaxation exercises. Regularly practice relaxation exercises to lower the baseline stress level to mitigate IBS symptoms.
Yoga is particularly helpful – certain poses target areas of the body that typically experience IBS symptoms. Other useful exercises are deep breathing and muscle relaxation.
Watch what you eat
You are not crazy to think that what you eat makes things worse for you. Sometimes you can eat something that doubles over in pain. While following a SIBO diet helps with the symptoms, keeping a food diary is the best way to take some uncertainty out of your IBS symptoms.
Slowly increase dietary fiber in your diet through fruits, vegetables, and grains to keep your digestive systems working optimally. Increase your intake of soluble fiber found in apples, beans, and citrus fruits. Furthermore, as dietary needs vary from person to person, it can prove beneficial to seek advice from a dietitian in Saskatoon or elsewhere more relevant. They can provide valuable insights and recommend dietary adjustments tailored to your goals and specific needs.
Plan ahead
It all adds up to what you can do with the information you now have. With this next step, the first thing you need is to eliminate potential trigger foods from your diet. Rethink your eating habits as well to introduce a predictable schedule. Anticipate these IBS symptoms and plan for them – but the remedies and nutritious pain relievers to soothe the pain as much as possible.
Bottom line
If you have ever climbed into bed or cuddled up on a couch, feeling a sharp pain around your abdominals, you know how uncomfortable IBS symptoms can be. The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all hack to relive this pain completely. All you can do is everything within your reach and pray that it is enough to soothe IBS symptoms.
