# diarrhea at the same time every night. why?



## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

So..for the past month or so I've only been having diarrhea between the same time almost every night. It starts between 12am-1am. Sometimes it's really watery, sometimes just loose and not formed. I get very bad panic attacks from it. It's usually 2-3 times in about an hour and then done. I'm always still awake so it never wakes me from sleep which I know is a bad thing if that happens. I'm always fine all day and night until around this time. I'm beginning to wonder if it's a type of food/drink I'm having for dinner. I'm going to start a journal tonight to see if I can find a trigger. I'm very scared. Has this happened to anyone where they've had D at the same time like clockwork?


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

Also..I don't have a bm all day until this time so I'm wondering if it's possible that I just ended up on a weird pooping schedule. Like how most people go every morning at the same time I just happen to be on an unusual time schedule for my bms maybe?


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## vanilla_bean (Mar 1, 2015)

It's normal to have a certain time of the day for your bowel movements... Yours just happens to feature diarrhea.

Your sleep schedule is probably affecting it being at midnight. Is that right before you go to bed, maybe?


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

Yea I normally start getting ready for bed between 11:30-midnight. My work schedule is 9:15-6 so by the time I get home it's about 6:30/6:45 and then I eat dinner around 7:30/8. So maybe I just am on a late bm schedule because I eat dinner a little later than most people


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## vanilla_bean (Mar 1, 2015)

That sounds logical to me. I definitely wouldn't fret about having a normal bowel movement schedule. I'd label it neutral if not healthy. If the timing is inconvenient, you could try pushing your bedtime up. Your body may interpret it calming down as a sign that it's not only time to go to bed, but it's time for your bowels to evacuate - which, unfortunately for some of us, isn't a 5-10 minute poop, but an hour long romp. Time to catch up on some reading! I reckon us IBS folk are smarter than everyone else since we are forced to read or even catch up on shows if you have an iPad (a treacherous road, since you may end up sitting too long and risk developing hemorrhoids. A double edged sword)!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If this is new and you haven't had a colonoscopy with a biopsy since this started up it may be worth talking to the doc. Even though not during your sleep it is during that part of the cycle (your body usually kinda knows when dawn and dusk are even if you aren't sleeping according to that schedule).

There is microscopic colitis which often feature watery diarrhea usually at night, so there is some small chance it might be that. It often doesn't need any different treatment than IBS so may not make much difference, but some people do need additional medications for i.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I asked my dr about that but he doesn't think that's what it is so he isn't scheduling any tests. The D has only been watery a couple times and he just did a ton of blood work in January when it first started and he said there's no sign of inflammation. I haven't had the night time D for 2 days now and sometimes at night I have to go but it's C. I have no idea what's going on. If it continues being an issue I'll have to go back and push for more tests I guess.


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