# IBS-C worse in winter?



## Bill Z (Feb 22, 2009)

Is there a possible reason why constipation is worse in the winter?I've had such serious problems in the last 2 weeks. I had a really bad stretch last winter, as well.In any case, I hope this is not going to become normal for me. The less often I have a BM (and lately the trend is *once every 4 or 5 days*) the worse these feelings of fullness, cramping, and--worst of all--nausea. I'm the kind of person easily thrown off by any kind of stress or disturbance, and this is really starting to interfere with life--for me, at least. I'm sure people with worse health problems would say I have no reason to complain, but hey, it's all relative, right?*Anyone have any ideas on the winter link?* I don't think it's a Vitamin D thing, as I take 1000 IU of D3 every day as it is, as well as several other supplements, especially the B vitamins for my chronic fatigue. I wonder if it could be a "slower circulation" kind of thing, from the cold weather. I'm also more sedentary in the winter, however recently I walked 3 miles on two consecutive days, and that barely seemed to help. I really am puzzled by this.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well there are different physical stresses on the body in winter vs summer and just the change in physical stress level from cold, less activity, etc. could be playing a role.Also it is common for people to eat more variety and quantity of fresh fruits in the summer (which can loosen up even normal people's stools compared to winter) so diet could play a role.You might want to make sure you keep fluid intake up even if you are less thirsty and try getting more activity, and it may take a couple of weeks of walking more than a couple of days to really see a consistent difference. Sunlight also has other effects on the body than just being active outside and vitamin D, so making sure you get some natural sunlight every day may not be a bad idea.Adding an osmotic laxative regularly may also help keep things moving. Either sorbitol from fruits (like apples, pears, plums/prunes and peaches) if you tolerate the gas from that or magnesium supplements if you want to stick to more natural or miralax is another one that can be used.


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2010)

Bill Z said:


> Is there a possible reason why constipation is worse in the winter?I've had such serious problems in the last 2 weeks. I had a really bad stretch last winter, as well.In any case, I hope this is not going to become normal for me. The less often I have a BM (and lately the trend is *once every 4 or 5 days*) the worse these feelings of fullness, cramping, and--worst of all--nausea. I'm the kind of person easily thrown off by any kind of stress or disturbance, and this is really starting to interfere with life--for me, at least. I'm sure people with worse health problems would say I have no reason to complain, but hey, it's all relative, right?*Anyone have any ideas on the winter link?* I don't think it's a Vitamin D thing, as I take 1000 IU of D3 every day as it is, as well as several other supplements, especially the B vitamins for my chronic fatigue. I wonder if it could be a "slower circulation" kind of thing, from the cold weather. I'm also more sedentary in the winter, however recently I walked 3 miles on two consecutive days, and that barely seemed to help. I really am puzzled by this.


Hello Bill,Do you live in a cold climate? It is about 19 or so degrees where I am, and I do notice that when I am feeling cold, or when my house is too cold, I can't relax enough to do whatever I need to do to have a bowel movement, and like you, if I don't go - I feel worse until I do. I was also curious about the cold weather link. The only thing I can really think of, is that maybe the cold makes us tense up more? I've found that using a heating pad in the morning on my stomach and in the evening after eating, helps with the tense feeling. I hope you feel better soon!Ali


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## raym0nd (Nov 28, 2010)

Bill Z said:


> Is there a possible reason why constipation is worse in the winter?I've had such serious problems in the last 2 weeks. I had a really bad stretch last winter, as well.In any case, I hope this is not going to become normal for me. The less often I have a BM (and lately the trend is *once every 4 or 5 days*) the worse these feelings of fullness, cramping, and--worst of all--nausea. I'm the kind of person easily thrown off by any kind of stress or disturbance, and this is really starting to interfere with life--for me, at least. I'm sure people with worse health problems would say I have no reason to complain, but hey, it's all relative, right?*Anyone have any ideas on the winter link?* I don't think it's a Vitamin D thing, as I take 1000 IU of D3 every day as it is, as well as several other supplements, especially the B vitamins for my chronic fatigue. I wonder if it could be a "slower circulation" kind of thing, from the cold weather. I'm also more sedentary in the winter, however recently I walked 3 miles on two consecutive days, and that barely seemed to help. I really am puzzled by this.


Buddy, my symptoms reduce a little during winters. btw , how cold are your winters? and ONE MORE THING - just 3 miles in 2 days will not make much difference. Exercise regularly as per your capacity. What you are saying is like this - Hey ! I lifted HEAVY weights 100 times everyday,for 5 days...why have I not become like arnold schwarznegger ? Get the point ??? Your constipation of several years will not vanish with two-three days of exercise. Exercise is not like a pill, do it twice and enjoy. NOT ALL,BUT MANY THINGS IN LIFE are unpleasant at first but pleasant later. For example, exercising regularly. The reverse is also true. For example, eating fast food and boozing frequently may be fun initially, but it causes problems later. Live happily or suffer, the choice is yours.Be careful, a sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate constipation. Worse, this may lead to piles or fistula. I am not scaring you,But thats what happened to me. Luckily,i escaped without surgery. If its too cold to go outside, try doing yoga and pranayam at home. That will help. Also,yoga must be done carefully and at the right time,preferably under the guidance of an experienced and honest teacher.If you ignore the basics of yoga before you begin,you may end up harming yourself.Try to go out for a brisk walk as often as possible. Did you know that sometimes soldiers have to spend months in VERY cold areas in active duty ? I hope that provides some inspiration. And if you go for a walk,try going to a lively area. It might cheer you up and break the monotony of being sedentary.Also, sometimes people tend to drink less water during winters, because they do not sweat. This leads to dehydration. Dont forget to drink water regularly,preferably lukewarm.Besides that - Try some of my tips at the link below, i hope they help you :http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?/topic/132918-my-perspective-and-personal-experiences-with-ibs-c-and-fistula/good luck and get going...


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## Bill Z (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies.Lest you take me for a fool, though--I'm aware walking 3 miles for 2 days will not cure my constipation. However I was going through a rough spot at that time, and was hoping it would "loosen things up", and of course I ended up disappointed.I'll admit that I'm not taking some of the advice you folks are giving. Generally I have a sedentary lifestyle (although I might downgrade that to "pseudo-sedentary" in the spring and summer) and I drink up to 3 cups of coffee per day. I can definitely see why a sedentary lifestyle is bad for IBS and that's something I need to improve, especially in the winter. However I don't see why coffee is *always *said to be avoided if you have IBS-C. As I understand it, caffeine can dry you out when taken in excess, and that causes constipation. However caffeine is also a digestive stimulant which helps a lot of people "get going", and if you observe a respectable limit and drink plenty of water, I don't see it being such a problem.As far as laxatives only being for a rare emergency, well, what do you expect people to do? Especially when those things that usually work for me just aren't doing the trick and I'm still not able to go after 4 days without a BM. This has been the trend lately, and without Milk of Magnesia, I don't know what I'd do.Anyone else?


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## raym0nd (Nov 28, 2010)

Bill Z said:


> Thanks for all the replies.Lest you take me for a fool, though--I'm aware walking 3 miles for 2 days will not cure my constipation. However I was going through a rough spot at that time, and was hoping it would "loosen things up", and of course I ended up disappointed.I'll admit that I'm not taking some of the advice you folks are giving. Generally I have a sedentary lifestyle (although I might downgrade that to "pseudo-sedentary" in the spring and summer) and I drink up to 3 cups of coffee per day. I can definitely see why a sedentary lifestyle is bad for IBS and that's something I need to improve, especially in the winter. However I don't see why coffee is *always *said to be avoided if you have IBS-C. As I understand it, caffeine can dry you out when taken in excess, and that causes constipation. However caffeine is also a digestive stimulant which helps a lot of people "get going", and if you observe a respectable limit and drink plenty of water, I don't see it being such a problem.As far as laxatives only being for a rare emergency, well, what do you expect people to do? Especially when those things that usually work for me just aren't doing the trick and I'm still not able to go after 4 days without a BM. This has been the trend lately, and without Milk of Magnesia, I don't know what I'd do.Anyone else?


It seems that you were offended by my reply. Well no offence was intended. From the way your post was written, I made certain assumptions about you. Look i am not a doctor/scientist who can decide whether coffee is good or not. But my experience with coffee is BAD...MY ibs-c began due to drinking a lot of coffee,just like you do. It caused severe acidity,promoted constipation and reduced my appetite. Some other people on this forum have observed that coffee harms them. But some,like my cousin say that black coffee sometimes enables BM. So its up to you to decide. Anyway, avoid sedentary lifestyle and try doing yoga if you wish. It eased my pain significantly and improved hunger. And if i may ask, what do you mean by "pseudo-sedentary" ? Good luck and take care.PS : Consider this - It would be nice if one could pass normal stools without the use of medicines and stimulants. Healthy/fit people pass stools without them. Some of them drink milk for starting BM. Use which ever method you like to attain good health. But why be dependent on any medicine/stimulant to pass stool? Should it not come naturally, aided by the food/fiber we eat ? Do read about yoga and pranayam. Then decide if you want to do it. If my comments upset you, dont let it prevent you from considering these approaches. Who knows, you might benefit from them.


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## Bill Z (Feb 22, 2009)

Don't get the wrong idea. I was not offended by your post, but merely skeptical of some of the ideas. You could call me stubborn and a bit cynical about things in general. Sometimes I like to question certain suggestions/ideas and it tends to come off as if I'm in "attack mode," but that's not the intention. As for "pseudo-sedentary" I mean I'm more active in the spring and summer, but still not as much as I should be.About coffee, it certainly could make IBS-C worse for some people, and I suppose it could even be a cause for a few. In my case, I just notice that _when I overdo it_, it makes my IBS-C worse. I've often seen people on various health-related forums demonize coffee to the extent that they claim "more than one cup per week" will have ruinous effects on your health. If you have such an opinion, that's fine. But such thinking isn't familiar to me where I'm from, at least. The coffeehouse is a second home to many in my area, it's just a daily habit that many people don't think twice about.Many people have recommended yoga to me, for a variety of reasons. I've seen plenty of evidence that these practices help people and I would like to try it. Yet I never really do anything with the advice, out of simple apathy and laziness, I suppose. Yoga takes a lot of discipline, or so I've been told.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Coffee is one of those things that certainly has it's detractors. I don't think there is good evidence it is as dangerous as some detractors claim, and it has antioxidants and other beneficial compounds as well as some of the ones that bother people.I tend to take a "see what you tolerate" approach. I usually see a more general IBSers may want to cut it out then specific for IBS-C and IBS-C only. It is a stimulant and can speed up the gut and for some IBSers that can be a big problem. It can increase diarrhea (even in healthy people) and increased colon activity can for some people mean more pain.To get really good at yoga it can take a lot of discipline; however, to learn enough poses to do a 10-20 minute routine is something you may be able to do from a DVD or one of the TV shows. It can be worth taking a class if you need a lot of help learning to move your body the right way (some people are better at seeing a body movement and replicating it and others really need someone to move the body into the right position to really get it). T'ai Chi and Qi Gong that rotate the waist can also help. Here is one warm up we do that may help (get that movement in the abdomen that seems to be helpful) that is pretty easy to learn and do. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart (not touching but not really wide, should be comfortable but not that critical to get an exact distance), stand relaxed but upright as possible (So not "at attention" but not slumped over, either). Let the arms be loose then rotate at the waist left and right, back and forth, and let the arms move loosely (they will hit the body back and forth, that is OK). You can stand up and do a few minutes at a time while watching TV (like a commercial break), or when you need a break from computer work, etc.


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