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If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and you feel an urgent need to go every time your boss pings you, your mother-in-law texts, or your friends change plans at the last minute, it’s time to focus on the stress that could be triggering your symptoms. After all, IBS is a breakdown in the signals the brain sends to the gut and the gut sends back to the brain — and this bodily response can be caused by stress, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).
“Stress increases the hormone cortisol, and it can impact our digestive system,” says Megan Riehl, PsyD, a gastrointestinal psychologist at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor.