Anxiety and Bowel Movements symptoms
Bowel Movement symptoms, such as having a sudden urge to use the bathroom, having a bowel movement, sudden episodes of diarrhea, gas cramps, intestinal discomfort, and throbbing in the groin or annus are common anxiety symptoms, especially anxiety and panic attack symptoms.
Many anxious and stressed people have bowel movement symptoms.
This article explains the relationship between anxiety and bowel movement symptoms.
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Bowel Movement Common Anxiety Symptom Descriptions
- You have a sudden urge to go to the bathroom to urinate or have a bowel movement.
- You get a sudden episode of diarrhea.
- You suddenly get gas cramps, abdominal pain, or intestinal discomfort.
- Suddenly you have excess gas, bloating, or feel nauseous.
- You notice your stool has suddenly changed color (yellow or grayish-brown).
- It also might feel as though your anus or groin are pulsing, throbbing, or twitching.
- These symptoms can also be chronic.
These symptoms can:
- Occur occasionally, frequently, or persistently.
- Precede, accompany, or follow an escalation of other anxiety symptoms or occur by itself.
- Precede, accompany, or follow a period of nervousness, anxiety, fear, and stress, or occur "out of the blue" for no reason.
- Range in intensity from mild, to moderate, to severe.
- Come in waves where it’s strong one moment and eases off the next.
- Occur for a while, subside, and then return for no reason.
- Change from day to day, moment to moment, or remain as a constant background during your struggle with anxiety disorder.
All the above combinations and variations are common.
To see if anxiety might be playing a role in your symptoms, rate your level of anxiety using our free one-minute instant results Anxiety Test, Anxiety Disorder Test, or Hyperstimulation Test.
The higher the rating, the more likely anxiety could be contributing to or causing your anxiety symptoms, including feeling like impending doom symptoms.
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Causes
Medical Advisory
Talk to your doctor about all new, changing, persistent, and returning symptoms as some medical conditions and medications can cause anxiety-like symptoms.
1. Anxiety-Activated Stress Response
Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response, which secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream, where they travel to specific locations to immediately prepare the body for emergency action – to fight or flee. This instinctual survival reaction is often referred to as the Fight Or Flight Response.[1][2]
Visit the “Stress Response” article for the many ways the stress response can affect the body and how we feel.
Some of the stress response changes include:
- Quickly converts the body’s energy reserves into “fuel” (blood sugar) to provide an instant boost of energy.
- Increases heart rate, respiration, and metabolism due to the boost in energy.
- Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing nervous system activity to be more sensitive and reactive to danger.
- Shunts blood to parts of the body vital to survival, such as the brain, arms, legs, and vital organs, and away from parts less vital for survival, such as the stomach, digestive system, and skin. It accomplishes this by constricting blood vessels in certain parts of the body and dilating them in others.
- Suppresses digestion so that most of the body’s resources are available for emergency action.
- Creates a sudden urge to void the bowels and empty the bladder in preparation to fight or flee.
- Causes muscles to tighten to make the body more resilient to injury, including the muscle in the digestive tract.
- Suppresses the digestive system so that most of the body’s resources are available to fight or flee.
- Suppresses salivation since the digestive system is suppressed (saliva is an important part of the digestion process).
To name a few.
Any combination of the above stress response changes can cause bowel movement symptoms.
More specifically, stress responses cause the lower digestive tract to eliminate waste as quickly as possible. It does this so that:
- In a dangerous situation, you don’t have to stop for a bowel movement while defending yourself or escaping danger. Doing so could be hazardous to your health.
- Most of the body’s resources are made available to deal with the threat rather than having some of the body’s resources tied up with digestive functions.
- The body is as unburdened as possible so that you can successfully deal with a dangerous situation.
To achieve this outcome, stress responses cause an increase in the degree and frequency of the rhythmic contractions of the intestinal muscles (these contractions are called peristaltic movements), causing waste to be excreted more quickly. This increased muscle activity is responsible for the pulsing, throbbing, or twitching in the anus and groin.
The more stressed or anxious you become, the more pronounced these symptoms can become.
This urge to evacuate the bowels is not only experienced by those who have anxiety disorder, it’s also a common problem for anyone who is abnormally stressed or nervous, such as entertainers, performers, actors, athletes, coaches, speakers, and presenters, to name a few.
Many people vomit, have an upset or nervous stomach, have diarrhea, have a constant need for a bowel movement, or have a frequent urge to urinate before a special or important event. Again, this is common.
An anxiety-activated stress response is a common cause of acute bowel movement symptoms.
2. Hyperstimulation
Frequently activating the stress response, such as from overly anxious behavior, can leave the body in a state of semi-stress-response-readiness, which we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.
Hyperstimulation is also often referred to as “hyperarousal,” “HPA axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation.”[3][4]
Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect how we feel.
Hyperstimulation can cause the changes of an active stress response even though a stress response hasn’t been activated.
Just as an active stress response can cause acute bowel movement symptoms, hyperstimulation can cause chronic bowel movement symptoms.
Chronic bowel movement symptoms are a common symptom of hyperstimulation. Many hyperstimulated people get bowel movements and gastrointestinal symptoms.
3. Other Factors
Other factors can create stress and cause anxiety-like symptoms, as well as aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, including:
- Medication
- Recreational drugs
- Stimulants
- Sleep deprivation
- Fatigue
- Hyper and hypoventilation
- Low blood sugar
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Dehydration
- Hormone changes
- Pain
Select the relevant link for more information.
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Treatment
When other factors cause or aggravate this anxiety symptom, addressing the specific cause can reduce and eliminate it.
When an active stress response causes bowel movement symptoms, ending the active stress response will cause this acute anxiety symptom to subside.
Keep in mind that it can take up to 20 minutes or more to recover from a major stress response. But this is normal and needn’t be a cause for concern.
When hyperstimulation causes bowel movement symptoms, eliminating hyperstimulation will end them.
You can eliminate hyperstimulation by:
- Reducing stress.
- Containing anxious behavior (since anxiety creates stress).
- Regular deep relaxation.
- Avoiding stimulants.
- Regular light to moderate exercise.
- Eating a healthy diet of whole and natural foods.
- Passively accepting your symptoms until they subside.
- Being patient as your body recovers.
Visit our “60 Natural Ways To Reduce Stress” article for more ways to reduce stress.
Recovery Support members can view chapters 5, 6, 7, 14 and more for more detailed information about recovering from hyperstimulation and anxiety disorder.
As the body recovers from hyperstimulation, it stops sending symptoms, including bowel movement symptoms.
However, eliminating hyperstimulation can take much longer than most people think, causing symptoms to linger longer than expected.
As long as the body is even slightly hyperstimulated, it can present symptoms of any type, number, intensity, duration, frequency, and at any time, including this one.
Even so, since bowel movement symptoms are common symptoms of stress, including anxiety-caused stress, they needn't be a cause for concern. They will subside when unhealthy stress has been eliminated and the body has had sufficient time to recover and stabilize. Therefore, there is no reason to worry about it.
Since worrying and becoming upset about anxiety symptoms stress the body, these behaviors can interfere with recovery.
Passively accepting your symptoms – allowing them to persist without reacting to, resisting, worrying about, or fighting them – while doing your recovery work will cause their cessation in time.
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Short-term strategies
Even though eliminating hyperstimulation will eliminate this symptom, some people have found the following short-term strategies helpful.
However, keep in mind that each person can have a unique symptom experience since each person is somewhat physically, chemically, psychologically, and emotionally unique. What might work for one person might not for another.
- Contain anxious behavior – Containing anxious behavior can reduce and stop a stress response from activating, eliminating acute bowel movement symptoms. The more contained you are, the better the result. We explain “Containment” and how to apply it in Chapter 6 in the Recovery Support area.
- Reduce stress – Since all anxiety symptoms are stress-related, reducing stress can reduce bowel movement symptoms. There are many ways to reduce stress. You can read about many natural stress reduction strategies in Chapter 14 in the Recovery Support area.
- Regular good sleep – Getting good sleep each night (6.5 to 8 hours per night) can significantly reduce anxiety and stress, reducing and eliminating all anxiety symptoms, including this one.
- Regular deep relaxation – Regular deep relaxation is a great way to reduce stress and overall stimulation. As stress and stimulation diminish, so will anxiety symptoms, including this one.
- Regular light to moderate exercise – Regular exercise reduces stress and improves stress symptoms. However, we don’t recommend strenuous exercise since it stresses the body.
- Keep well hydrated – Dehydration is a common cause of stress-like symptoms, including bowel movement symptoms. Keeping your body well hydrated can prevent and reduce anxiety symptoms, including this one. Some doctors recommend drinking 2 liters of water per day.
- Don't react to this symptom – Reacting to bowel movement symptoms with angst, frustration, anger, and more anxiety can exacerbate this symptom. Not reacting (such as via Containment) can help the nervous system disengage and relax, promoting recovery and symptom elimination.
- Avoid stimulants – Stimulants bring about their stimulating effect by secreting stress hormones into the bloodstream. To symptoms, we need to decrease stimulation, not increase it.
- Eat a healthy diet – An unhealthy diet of high sugar, high fat, and fast foods can fuel anxiety and hyperstimulation symptoms. Eating a healthy diet of whole and natural foods can reduce anxiety, hyperstimulation, and symptoms, including bowel movement symptoms.
- Take Over-The-Counter remedies – OTC remedies can help manage digestive and bowel movement symptoms when they are acute or chronic. Many people find taking Pepto-Bismol or antacids, like Gaviscon, helpful until they reduce their anxiety and hyperstimulation.
- Talk with your doctor – If you are concerned about your symptoms, talk with your doctor. Good doctors can offer reassurance so that you don’t have to worry about your symptoms. Often this reassurance makes a significant difference to how you feel overall. Being reassured can also be calming to the nervous system.
There are many other natural and practical ways to reduce stress and anxiety symptoms. Again, visit chapters 4 and 14 in the Recovery Support area for more ideas.
Recovery Support
The Recovery Support area of our website contains thousands of pages of important self-help information to help individuals overcome anxiety disorder, hyperstimulation, and symptoms.
Due to the vast amount of information, including a private Discussion Forum, many of our Recovery Support members consider it their online recovery support group.
Nutritional Assistance
In some cases, chronic bowel movement symptoms might need the assistance of a Nutritional Science Practitioner like Liliana Tosic. Chronic digestive problems can change the gut flora in the digestive tract, requiring a change in diet and other nutritional considerations to correct. Professional assistance can be invaluable when returning a chronically stressed digestive system to normal functioning.
Therapy
Unidentified and unaddressed underlying factors cause issues with anxiety. As such, they are the primary reason why anxiety symptoms persist.
Addressing your underlying factors (Level Two recovery) is most important if you want lasting success.
Addressing Level Two recovery can help you:
- Contain anxious behavior.
- Become unafraid of anxiety symptoms and the strong feelings of anxiety.
- End anxiety symptoms.
- Successfully address the underlying factors that so often cause issues with anxiety.
- End what can feel like out-of-control worry.
All our recommended anxiety therapists have had anxiety disorder and overcame it. Their personal experience with anxiety disorder and their Master's Degree and above professional training gives them insight other therapists don't have.
If you want to achieve lasting success over anxiety disorder, any one of our recommended therapists would be a good choice.
Working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist is the most effective way to treat anxiety disorder, especially if you have persistent symptoms and difficulty containing anxious behavior, such as worry.[5][6][7]
In many cases, working with an experienced therapist is the only way to overcome stubborn anxiety.
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Common Anxiety Symptoms
Additional Resources
- For a comprehensive list of Anxiety Disorders Symptoms Signs, Types, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment.
- Anxiety and panic attacks symptoms can be powerful experiences. Find out what they are and how to stop them.
- How to stop an anxiety attack and panic.
- Free online anxiety tests to screen for anxiety. Two minute tests with instant results. Such as:
- Anxiety 101 is a summarized description of anxiety, anxiety disorder, and how to overcome it.
Return to our anxiety disorders signs and symptoms page.
anxietycentre.com: Information, support, and therapy for anxiety disorder and its symptoms, including bowel movement anxiety symptoms.
References
1. Yaribeygi, Habib, et al. “The Impact of Stress on Body Function: A Review.” EXCLI Journal, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, 2017.
2. Godoy, Livea, et al. "A Comprehensive Overview on Stress Neurobiology: Basic Concepts and Clinical Implications." Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience, 3, July 2018.
3. Elbers, Jorina, et al. "Wired for Threat: Clinical Features of Nervous System Dysregulation in 80 Children." Pediatric Neurology, Dec 2018.
4. Teixeira, Renata Roland, et al. “Chronic Stress Induces a Hyporeactivity of the Autonomic Nervous System in Response to Acute Mental Stressor and Impairs Cognitive Performance in Business Executives.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015.
5. Hofmann, Stefan G., et al. “The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-Analyses.” Cognitive Therapy and Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Oct. 2012.
6. Leichsenring, Falk. “Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy the Gold Standard for Psychotherapy?” JAMA, American Medical Association, 10 Oct. 2017.
7. DISCLAIMER: Because each body is somewhat chemically unique, and because each person will have a unique mix of symptoms and underlying factors, recovery results may vary. Variances can occur for many reasons, including due to the severity of the condition, the ability of the person to apply the recovery concepts, and the commitment to making behavioral change.