Learn if stress can cause diarrhea and other gut issues, like bloating and pain.
Get doc-approved tips to reduce diarrhea from stress.
Think Youve Got Food Poisoning?
Theres no other way to say itlife is stressful.
In the midst of all this stressing…yourstomach starts to rumble.
And next thing you know, youre running to the bathroom.
licensed psychologist in Boston, Massachusetts
Its zero percent fun, but 100 percent definitely a thing.
Why can stress cause diarrhea?
Being stressed or anxious can trigger some unpleasant gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including diarrhea.
In fact, one study inMedicine1found around a quarter of people with anxiety had chronic loose stools.
Butterflies in your stomach or some queasiness, or even diarrhea or vomiting.
How long does stress diarrhea last?
Theres no official timeline here, but the occasional bout of anxiety-induced diarrhea shouldnt go on for too long.
How to stop stress diarrhea
Managing stress-induced diarrhea mostly comes down to managing stress itself.
(More on that in a few.)
licensed psychologist in Boston, Massachusetts
To prevent stress-induced diarrhea, you want to prevent stress, says Dr. Fehling.
There are plenty of ways to do that, so experiment to see what makes you feel good.
FAQ
How do I know if my diarrhea is from stress?
Can stress lead to constipation?
Yep, it can.
So some people become very constipated when they are stressed, says Dr. Raj.
Can stress cause colon problems?
There isnt much evidence that connects stress to severe colon problems like colon cancer.
If youre concerned about your colon health, talk to your doctor.
They can schedule certain tests to rule out things like colon cancer.
reviewed byJennifer Logan, MD, MPH
Kim JY, Lim MH.
Psychological factors to predict chronic diarrhea and constipation in Korean high school students.
Medicine (Baltimore).
2021 Jul 9;100(27):e26442.
PMID: 34232176; PMCID: PMC8270581.
Correlation between anxiety-depression status and cytokines in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.
2013 Jul;6(1):93-96. doi: 10.3892/etm.2013.1101.
Epub 2013 May 8.
PMID: 23935726; PMCID: PMC3735566.
Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 9;13(1):432. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y.
PMID: 36624160; PMCID: PMC9828383.
Madison A, Kiecolt-Glaser JK.
Curr Opin Behav Sci.
2019 Aug;28:105-110. doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.011.
Epub 2019 Mar 25.
PMID: 32395568; PMCID: PMC7213601.
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