Is fatigue a common IBS symptom?
Out of no where I will become very tired and fatigued. Is this common with IBS?
I feel like fatigue is pretty common with IBS, especially during and after flares. I definitely have this symptom, too. We also have several articles about this, including here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/stories/ibs-fatigue, and here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/sleep-fatigue-dehydration. Are you able to rest during these episodes? Karina (team member) Yes, I can get exhaustion too. It's not necessarily always connected with a flare up either.
I often wonder if sometimes the exhaustion could be caused by a restricted diet? I try to eat as many healthy foods as I can, but some people can only eat a few. So I always take a vitamin and mineral supplement as well.
Make sure you're not anemic. Go for a blood test.
I also personally feel that my sleep can be disturbed by things going on in my gut during the night. Some nights I wake a lot or don't sleep enough hours. That's another thing to consider., Oh yes, the restricted diet can play a role, too, I completely agree! And iron deficiency anemia can also be a common side-effect of IBS: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/iron-deficiency-anemia. I had this for years. What helped me get to normal iron levels lately is eating lits of different protein sources, but I'm lucky that I'am able to digest most meats and animal products.
As for sleep, I just wanted to share this article: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/better-sleep-tips, it has some helpful tips for sleeping through the night.
Karina (team member)
Thank you Karina, the links you gave are helpful. I find I fall asleep instantly (or close to it...within a minute) and then appear to sleep really well, but just wake up before I've had enough hours really. I think it is what's going on in my morning gut that wakes me up. Nothing really horrid, but maybe something preparing for elimination.
Other times I sleep straight through 7-8 hours without even cracking open my eyelids! I feel like I've been in a very deep sleep. And spend the whole day feeling exhausted!
And yet when my gut feels easier, I can wake up feeling fresh and alert after 6 hours sleep.
I hope you are not too bad at the moment, Karina? Take care. Hugs.I feel that, I definitely also need more sleep when I'm flaring and not feeling well in general. I guess it's our bodies way of recovering from what's going on? I personally never sleep well though because my son wakes me up so too times at night, but that's another issue! I'm okay, although my IBS has been acting up lately... How about you? I hope you've been feeling okay! Karina (team member)
I am sorry to hear that your IBS hasn't been too good recently, Karina. Mine has been kind of "low-grade" ups and downs, nothing really terrible, but niggly things.
I hope this phase will pass for you soon. I feel weather changes, so maybe they have an effect on us? And the gradual loss of light at this time of year.Yes, it must be quite demanding to have a young baby who wakes you up a lot in the night. I hope you can find times for a rest or nap. I have heard "sleeping when the baby sleeps" to be a solution...but don't know how that works out in a less-than-ideal world with all the things we need to do in life! It would be fine if there was a magical garden where mothers with babies went to stay for a vacation!
Take care and all the best.I feel like the beginning of the colder months and the darkness definitely play a role. I'm not sure if they affect my IBS directly or if they affect my anxiety and that impacts my IBS, but I always find it easier to feel well in the summer. Do you find that the loss of light affects you negatively as well?
Sleeping when the baby sleeps worked better for me when he was very little, but he's 1 and a half now and doesn't sleep that often, haha! And I also have too much work to do to even nap. It will pass, we're just in a bad teething phase right now. 😀 The magical garden sounds wonderful though!
I hope you had a lovely weekend without too many symptoms. Karina (team member)
