Why is my IBS worse in the hot weather?

If you suffer with IBS, you may be experiencing a change in your symptoms with the hot weather during this summer. It can spoil your enjoyment of nice weather (and in the UK you’ll blink and miss it!)

There are a number of reasons why the heat can change gut related symptoms including what we eat, how much we drink, and how the heat physically affects your body.

I see these changes during a heatwave with my clients, so here’s the information I share with them:

Dehydration affects IBS

Firstly, when it’s very hot, we will typically sweat a lot, which can lead to dehydration. When we don’t have enough water in our digestive system it just doesn’t work as well.

This means you could get extra bloating, gas, or stomach pains, due to fermenting foods inside your gut.

The best way to tackle this is to stay hydrated by maintaining your liquid intake throughout the day, aiming for eight glasses of water. As a minimum this is around two litres, but you might need more if you exercise a lot or get very sweaty.

You change your diet in hot weather

Another reason why our digestive system could be under more pressure when it’s very hot outside is what you choose to eat. We tend to want to eat cold raw foods rather than a warming stew!

A high volume of raw foods may be different from the foods that you typically eat. Some people with a sensitive tummy may find that raw foods are more difficult to digest, which can lead to bloating and excess gas.

Less movement affects IBS

Also when it’s very hot, we tend to do less exercise and move our body as little as possible, which may change the frequency of your bowel habits. You skip your lunchtime walk because it’s too hot, or you avoid going to the gym after work.

When we exercise the gut moves food along the intestines, and often gas will escape or move along the tubes too. So when you’re moving less you can get a build up of pressure inside your abdomen.

If you’re prone to constipation you may find your symptoms get a little worse because either you’re dehydrated and the stools are becoming hard, or the fact that you’re moving a lot less may be decreasing the physical triggers for a bowel movement.

Heat preventing sleep may make IBS worse

When it’s very hot, we tend to struggle to sleep. And when we’re tired we feel any pain more intensely.

So if you’re someone who experiences abdominal pains, then you may be more sensitive to these during periods when you’re very tired.

Hot weather can impact on our ability to sleep, which has a knock on impact on our sense of pain within the body.

Some people with IBS are more sensitive to heat

One study showed that people who have IBS feel more sensitive to heat than controls.  If you have IBS you could be more likely to be sensitive to pain and the sensations within the gut.

Don’t confuse IBS diarrhoea with heat exhaustion

If you’re someone who typically experiences very loose stools, or at the moment you have got diarrhoea, then do make sure that you are well hydrated because diarrhoea can be a sign of heat exhaustion.

Heat stroke can also include symptoms such as aches and pains rashes excess sweating.

If you have any of these symptoms, then do speak to a doctor to get yourself checked out.

Looking for help with your IBS diet? I’m an IBS nutritionist and I can help you get relief from embarrassing and painful gut symptoms. Send me an email at info@goodnessme-nutrition.com to get started and we can arrange time for a chat about what you’re struggling with.

How to stay cool with IBS and reduce flare ups

Helpful ways to keep yourself cool include:

• Maintaining your liquid intake aiming for two litres of water a day.
• Putting a cool flannel on your head or face,
• sitting in the shade using fan, or air conditioning, if that’s available to you.

Eat well for the hot weather

• Stick with foods you know don’t aggravate your symptoms, even though that beer, ice lolly or salad looks tempting.
• Some foods are linked to keeping the body cool and help with hydration. These include refreshing foods high in water content such as watermelon, cucumber, salads and fruit. You might find watermelon is a trigger for bloating if you’re sensitive to the FODMAP group of fructose.

Hi, I’m Anna Mapson, registered Nutritional Therapist.

I help people with IBS and SIBO get control of unpredictable gut symptoms to find long term relief from painful and embarrassing IBS without restrictive dieting.

I can help you to:

• understand your digestion better, so you recognise your triggers
• eat a well balanced diet, with tasty meals that are simple to prepare
• reintroduce your trigger foods so you can get back to enjoying food again

Find more about my 3 month 1:1 Gut Reset programme.