Summer heat and IBS symptoms
Here in southeast lower Michigan, we have a week-long forecast of temps in the high 90s. That is extreme for my zone. But we are not the only region affected in this way. La Nina is responsible for higher temps everywhere this summer. I spend summers indoors with the A/C, as I am extremely sensitive to heat. I have multiple sclerosis, and heat makes my symptoms worse. So a summertime IBS flare feels like a double whammy. What about you? Does heat affect your IBS?
Yes, heat makes me worse. I dont tolerate heat and humidity well. There are studies done that show IBS gets worse with heat but a lot has to do with our tolerance for it. If heat = stress & anxiety than IBS will get worse
Bummer that heat and humidity make you feel worse, too. The tolerance/stress angle makes total sense. Stress seems to trigger a flare for so many of us. Thank you for sharing your personal experience and clinical study findings 😀 Hugs, Kim
Yes, my flare ups are more frequent in the hot and humid weather. I mentioned that to my doctor a few years ago, and she looked into it and discovered it’s common for heat to be a trigger. Best wishes as you seek to beat the heat this summer.
Thank you for sharing that! I hope your IBS won't get too bad this summer. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
Temperatures in the 90s! That is challenging. I was just about to say no, summer weather doesn't trigger my IBS, in fact I seemed to do well during dry weather sunny periods. But I am in the UK, and with only a few exceptions our temperatures don't get that hot! Plus I live in an old stone cottage with super-thick walls, which nearly always manages to be slightly chilly even in heatwaves!
But generally I seem to do well in midsummer. It's when the weather changes to gloomy, damp, rain again, that my tummy starts to feel a bit ominous and unstable again. I'll never know why. It's the same in winter too. When we have clear bitter cold weather I am usually okay, but when the rain comes back and it warms up a bit, I'm never as good.I'm envious of your stone cottage and its cave-like coolness. Your sensitivity to a falling barometer/increased humidity is similar to mine, but for a different medical condition! While that gloomy, rainy, weather worsens your IBS, it worsens my nasal allergy symptoms but not my IBS. The nervous system is so--weird! 😀 Hugs, Kim, moderator
