How Stomach Issues May Be Affecting Your Sleep – AOL - Best ADHD Doctors in Florida, New York, & California at Physicians Now

Disclaimer: All proprietary content on Physicians Now is exclusively owned by Physicians Now. All RSS feed content is owned by the respective 3rd party website.

Woman can't sleep because of insomnia — DepositPhotos

As many as one in three Americans live with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that includes such challenging and sleep-disrupting experiences as stomach pain, cramps, and diarrhea or constipation—or both. It can also involve fatigue, depression, headaches, and backaches.

IBS has no cure. Treatment is mainly about managing symptoms and avoiding triggers—such as stress, gastrointestinal infections, imbalanced gut bacteria (dysbiosis), and certain foods that can set off symptoms.

IBS can also wreak havoc on your sleep. Although sleep disturbances aren’t officially considered among the diagnostic criteria for IBS, one study found some 37.6 percent of people with IBS also have sleep disorders.

Another study found as many as 50 percent of diagnosed individuals are affected by sleep disorders. According to a study of adolescents with IBS, 53.1 percent of the 113 study subjects experienced sleep disorders.

In this article, we’ll go into detail about the relationship between IBS and sleep and offer tips for sleeping better with IBS if you have it.

IBS and sleep: What’s the connection?

Although research is limited on the connection between sleep problems and the GI system, IBS has been linked with poor sleep quality and significant sleep disturbance.

Half of IBS sufferers—particularly women—experience insomnia. In a vicious cycle, those who get poor sleep may have even worse IBS symptoms the next day.

“Poor sleep is common with IBS,” says Amy Archer, RDN, owner of Wellness RD, LLC. “And when someone gets poor sleep, it correlates with IBS pain.”

What’s more, says Nancy Mitchell, RN, contributing writer at Assisted Living, “Sleep is connected with the immune system and is essential for proper internal recovery. As such, lack of sleep contributes to increased inflammation in the gut lining, which tends to exacerbate IBS symptoms.”

A survey of Dutch university students linked IBS pain to taking longer to fall asleep, perceived sleep quality, and more nighttime awakenings. Pain far outranked constipation and diarrhea symptoms as the most influential factor affecting sleep.

IBS and other conditions that affect sleep

Besides IBS pain, other conditions that go hand-in-hand with IBS can also affect sleep. These conditions might include:

Sleep apnea: This sleep disorder affects about 20 percent of the population. It can interrupt sleep patterns and reduce the quality of sleep. Symptoms include snoring and temporary episodes of stopped breathing. According to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, people with sleep apnea are more likely to have IBS than those without sleep apnea.
Chronic pain: A national survey conducted in 2021 found that 63 percent of people with IBS have chronic back or neck pain in addition to the bowel pain they have from IBS. Sleep can be less restful because your body focuses on the sources of pain rather than shutting itself down to sleep.
Anxiety: About 37 percent of people with IBS also have an anxiety-related condition, according to the survey. Those with anxiety often have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their body. Cortisol is what wakes you in the morning—but having high levels of it when you’re trying to sleep can make it difficult to fully relax into slumber.
Mood disorders: The same survey found that more than one in four people with IBS also live with a mood disorder, including depression and bipolar disorder. Also known as affective disorders, mood disorders can affect how your brain moves through the phases of sleep—a reason sleep issues are considered features of these mental health conditions.

How to sleep better with IBS

Fortunately, you can improve your sleep and IBS symptoms with a few lifestyle changes. If IBS is robbing you of the sleep you need, start with these suggestions:

Avoid caffeine before bed: Caffeine is a stimulant—not what you need to help you sleep. It can stay in your system for many hours after you partake in coffee or an energy drink. Caffeine can also stimulate your intestines and cause diarrhea. A 2021 study found that people who consumed more than 106.5 mg of caffeine a day had a 47 percent greater chance of developing IBS symptoms than those who consumed less caffeine.
Increase fiber intake: A large national study linked fiber intake to sleep duration. Adults who reported a “normal” amount of sleep (seven to eight hours) ate 16.6 g of fiber per day—compared with those who reported fewer than five hours of sleep a day and consumed only 13.2 g of fiber per day. Fiber can help improve IBS constipation symptoms as well since soluble fiber helps keep things moving through your intestines.
Create a comfortable sleep environment: Archer says strategies that can improve your sleep environment include limiting screen time before bed or wearing blue-blocking glasses and sleeping in a cool room. You’ll also want to optimize your sleep area with comfortable bedding, “white noise” to block out distracting sounds, and blackout curtains to keep the room dark.
Do gentle exercises like yoga: “Prioritize exercise,” says sleep researcher Jeff Kahn, co-founder of Rise Science. It can help with colonic motility, strengthening your circadian clock, and getting sufficient healthy sleep.
Consider taking melatonin: Research suggests taking 3 mg of melatonin at bedtime may improve IBS abdominal pain. Scientists believe the reason is that melatonin affects intestinal functioning by moving stool along at an even pace, reducing inflammation in your colon, and suppressing pain signals from nerves in the gut. Of course, it’s best to speak with a healthcare professional before adding melatonin supplements to your diet, though they’re considered generally safe.
Work with your doctor to find a treatment plan that works for you: Be sure to discuss any IBS symptoms affecting your sleep with your healthcare provider. You’ll need to be proactive about it because not all providers ask patients with functional bowel disorders such as IBS about sleep disturbances—and many patients likewise may not mention it to their provider.

FAQs

Can IBS cause trouble sleeping?

Yes, because the abdominal pain and bowel irregularities related to IBS can prevent you from falling or staying asleep.

Does IBS get worse with lack of sleep?

There’s a vicious cycle whereby IBS can cause insomnia and disrupt your ability to get quality sleep, only to make the abdominal symptoms and related anxiety and tiredness worse the next day because of a lack of sleep.

Can IBS symptoms wake you up at night?

Yes, because nerves in your intestine can cause pain as they’re triggered by the uneven movement of stool passing along the tract.

How should you sleep when you have IBS?

In a word, deliberately. Because you know IBS can rob you of the sleep you need, you can take steps like those suggested above to help ensure IBS doesn’t disrupt your sleep.

These include making necessary dietary changes, keeping to a regular sleep schedule, avoiding such sleep-disrupting stimulants as caffeine, and making a point to exercise to help healthily stimulate your digestive tract.

This article originally appeared on Saatva.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.

Can alcohol actually help you sleep?

I’ve never been a huge drinker, but I’ve definitely imbibed more than usual over the last year and a half. With all the added stress from the pandemic, I’ve found myself reaching for a large glass—or two, let’s be real—of wine almost every night.

Not only does drinking alcohol leave me with a serious case of acid reflux, though, but it also makes getting a good night’s sleep pretty difficult. That’s not surprising, given studies show alcohol negatively impacts sleep.

“While some people notice that an alcoholic drink or two causes drowsiness and aids them in falling asleep, there is evidence to suggest that alcohol, particularly in high doses, can interrupt and negatively affect the quality of one’s sleep,” says Emma M. Laing, PhD, RDN, clinical associate professor and director of the didactic program in dietetics at the University of Georgia.

To get my sleep (and health) back on track, I’ve decided to temporarily quit drinking and do a dry month challenge. Here, learn more about how alcohol affects sleep and the many benefits you can expect from a dry month.

AlexPro9500/ istockphoto

In general, alcohol quickens how fast you’ll fall asleep — and it also makes it harder for noise and commotion to wake you up.

Research shows alcohol increases the amount of time spent in slow-wave sleep, the deepest stage of sleep, although recent data suggests this only happens in people who are already deficient in deep sleep. (This could be the case if you have a sleep disorder, like sleep apnea.)

These effects only occur in the first part of sleep, usually within the first four hours of the night as your body metabolizes the alcohol. Once your body has broken down all of the booze, you’ll start to experience worse sleep. Now you’re awakened and can be aroused from sleep more easily.

Why is that? According to studies on alcohol and sleep, you tend to spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep and REM sleep (the period when you dream) during the later part of the night, after you’ve thrown back a few cocktails.

In general, most people can metabolize one drink every one to two hours. But when it comes to how alcohol will affect your individual body and sleep, a lot of factors come into play. These include:

**What you drink**: Some types of booze have a higher alcohol content than others and will therefore hit you harder. A standard serving of beer (12 ounces) usually has around 5% alcohol; a standard serving of wine (5 ounces) usually has around 12% alcohol; and a standard serving of distilled 80-proof liquor (1.5 ounces) usually has around 40% alcohol.

**How much you drink:** The more alcohol you drink, the higher your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will be.

**How quickly you drink:** The faster you down drinks, the higher your BAC will be.

**Your gender:** Alcohol affects men and women differently. Women tend to weigh less than men and ultimately tend to get intoxicated more quickly. Women also have less dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the stomach. This can lead to higher BACs for women even if they drink the same amount of alcohol as men.

**Your body size:** People with smaller body sizes will feel the effects of alcohol faster.

**What you eat:** Food also plays a role in how alcohol will affect you. Having something in your stomach, whether it’s carbs, fat or protein, will help slow down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. The larger the meal and the closer you time it to your drinking, the lower your peak BAC is likely to be.

That said, research shows as little as one drink could worsen your sleep, regardless of your gender or your weight. A 2018 study found that one drink reduces the restorative quality of sleep by 9.3%. Moderate alcohol consumption (three drinks), meanwhile, was shown to lower sleep quality by 24%. High alcohol consumption (seven drinks) was shown to decrease sleep quality by as much as 39.2%.

Results were similar for women and men, as well as for people of smaller and larger body sizes and people who were physically active versus those who were more sedentary.

fizkes / iStock

Research shows alcohol can increase the amount of deep sleep people with insomnia get. But this increase in deep sleep is only temporary. After about six nights, people with insomnia will start to develop a tolerance to alcohol and need to drink more to get the same effect, according to one study.

While the research isn’t conclusive, it does suggest using alcohol as a sleep aid for insomnia could increase the risk of alcohol abuse.

monkeybusinessimages / istockphoto

There’s a link between alcohol consumption and sleep apnea. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, slowing down the part of the brain that controls breathing, along with the firing of the muscles that keep your airway open. When you have sleep apnea, this part of the airway gets repeatedly blocked during sleep. This causes brief arousals throughout the night.

Moderate to heavy drinking can lead to episodes of sleep apnea, even if you don’t have the condition. And for people who do have sleep apnea, studies show drinking can exacerbate this problem.

DepositPhotos.com

Yes, alcohol can disrupt sleep. While it has sedative effects that can cause feelings of sleepiness, studies show alcohol, particularly when consumed in excess, can reduce sleep quality and sleep duration.

fizkes / iStock

Drinking alcohol isn’t going to do your sleep any favors. But if you’re smart about when, what and how much you imbibe, a glass (or two) of Pinot noir won’t necessarily ruin your night, either. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

**Stop drinking a few hours before bed**. Exactly how long you should leave between your last drink and hitting the pillow depends on how much you drink and how quickly your body metabolizes alcohol. Most of us metabolize about one drink every one to two hours.

**Don’t overdo it**. The more drinks you consume, the longer it takes your body to metabolize the alcohol. Regardless of whether your body metabolizes alcohol quickly or slowly, the less alcohol in your system, the less potential for your sleep to get disrupted.

**Watch out for heavy pours**. Stick to standard-size drinks, not doubles, extra-large wine glasses or mixed drinks with multiple shots of different liquors. Bonus: You’ll certainly save money the next time you hit the bar.

tommaso79 / iStock

Now you know all the ways alcohol can wreak havoc on your sleep. So naturally, you might be wondering whether taking a break from booze could improve your shut-eye.

Here’s what you need to know about Dry January, the benefits of doing a dry month, and how to stick with it to experience the best results.

itakdalee / istockphoto

Dry January involves taking a month-long break from alcohol. Because it begins on January 1, some people participate in Dry January to kick-start a New Year’s resolution to cut back on alcohol. Other people use it as a way to reset after lots of holiday drinking.

The first Dry January took place in 2013. The campaign originated with Alcohol Concern, a U.K. organization, as a way to encourage mindfulness around alcohol consumption.

That first year, 4,000 Brits took the challenge, and it’s since expanded worldwide. Close to 25% of Americans reported interest in participating in Dry January in 2019.

Other popular months to stop drinking include September and October, which you’ll often see referred to as Sober September and Sober October. But really, you can do a dry challenge any month of the year.

OntheRunPhoto / iStock

Even taking a short hiatus from drinking alcohol can result in better quality sleep. According to 2015 research out of the University of Sussex, 62% of Dry January participants reported better sleep.

“Appreciating the various ways in which alcohol can disrupt sleep, it makes sense that taking a break from drinking can result in more restful nights,” says Laing.

She does note, however, that heavy drinkers who decide to stop drinking abruptly may experience withdrawal symptoms before they start to see the sleep benefits. “Multiple factors, including how much and how often you drink, can contribute to the severity of these withdrawal symptoms,” she says.

Hilary Sheinbaum, journalist and author of The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month, first took the Dry January challenge in 2017 and noticed improvements in her sleep.

“When I gave up alcohol for one month, one of the most surprising epiphanies was my quality of sleep,” she says. Before taking the challenge, Sheinbaum says she used to sleep an average of five hours a night, often waking up in the middle of the night.

“I truly thought that was due to my crazy-busy New York City life, my around-the-clock job and my anxiety as a whole,” she says. “Nope! Not long into my first Dry January, I realized that even though my work and lifestyle were as busy as ever, I was sleeping seven to eight hours each night, which was a personal record.”

The only change Sheinbaum had made in her life? Giving up alcohol.

Laing says additional health benefits of cutting out alcohol, even for a short period, include an improved immune system and liver function, as well as a heightened ability to curb mindless snacking.

Per the University of Sussex research, 62% of Dry January participants reported more energy, while 82% felt a sense of achievement. Additionally, 49% of participants said they lost weight.

One of the more surprising benefits for Sheinbaum, meanwhile, had to do with her skin.

“My skin looked infinitely clearer and more glowy, even in the dead, dull, month of January,” she says. “As it turns out, alcohol dehydrates your body, including your skin.”

Prostock-Studio / iStock

A month without booze might sound daunting, but there are some things you can do to ensure the process goes smoothly, no matter if you plan it for January or any other month:

**Be clear about your intentions.** Make a list of the top reasons you’re giving up alcohol to remind yourself why you’re taking this break in the first place, suggests Laing. “Keep your list in a prominent place and refer to it when the urge to drink strikes,” she says. “If possible, talk about your intentions with your friends, family, and your healthcare provider, so they understand and are able to offer support when needed.”

**Enlist a friend to do it with you.** “For first-timers, I suggest recruiting a friend or friends to partake in the challenge with you,” says Sheinbaum. Her first Dry January stemmed from a spontaneous bet she made with a friend on New Year’s Eve in 2016. “The first year I did the dry challenge, and made a Dry January bet, it felt like a group effort,” she says. “It was so helpful to have a friend to keep me accountable—and also share tips and tricks along the way.”

**Replace drinking with another activity.** These last few months, I’d always reach for a glass of wine at the end of a stressful day. But there are healthier ways to relieve anxiety, and Dry January is the perfect time to incorporate some of these activities into your routine. Try taking a relaxing bath, going for a walk around the block with your pet or cooking a new recipe, says Laing.

**Keep alcohol out of sight.** “If you think you’ll be tempted by having alcohol in the house, put it away or give it to a friend to temporarily hold,” suggests Sheinbaum. As she notes, the point of a dry challenge isn’t to torture you. “It’s to make a dry month as simple, easy and as enjoyable as possible,” says Sheinbaum.

**Sip tasty non-alcoholic beverages.** “Replacing what is in your glass or cup doesn’t have to be fancy or require a lot of effort,” Laing says. “Making a cup of soothing hot or iced tea, coffee or hot chocolate can be a helpful alternative, along with juices, smoothies, bubbly waters, and other beverages you have on hand that pique your interest.” Sheinbaum likes flavored seltzers, as well as Gruvi’s non-alcoholic prosecco and Athletic Brewing Company’s non-alcoholic beers. (For more inspiration, we’ve rounded up these delicious mocktail recipes.)

**Related:**

*This article originally appeared on Saatva.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.*

wundervisuals

Do you think you may suffer from Sleep Issues and live in Florida, California or New York?

If so, please consider scheduling a proper virtual online Sleep Disorder and Anxiety diagnosis with one of our physicians. Although we have an online ADHD and Anxiety diagnosis tool, a proper diagnosis from a Board-Certified Medical Doctor will help you know for sure. If appropriate, a customized treatment program will be recommended at the conclusion of that initial visit.