Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

hey there.

ok, i think there's some general confusion about the term "stress." you're not the only one, by the way!

stress is actually a physical state. it is your body's reaction to life, really. it can come from things outside the body or internal things including mental stuff. so you can get stressed because you broke your leg, you can get stressed because you have a big test coming up, you can get stressed at the thought of kissing a cute bartender! stress comes from lots of things. what it means physically is that your body goes through chemical changes, some of which may be obvious like increased pulse and rapid breathing. but it's not always that obvious at all!

heat is a definite stressor. it doesn't mean that you're all stressed-out in your head, worrying about the heat, etc.. like you may be about the test or the cute bartender! it just means that your body finds the heat (or other stressor) to be an abnormal state and it goes into some sort of defense mechanism because of that. in IBS, our intestines either start contracting too fast or they slow to almost a stop. why? who knows!? if you find out, let us know.

anyway, many of us have wonky reactions to heat. i sure do! in fact, my worst attacks have always been when i've overheated. ridiculous! apparently i'm a delicate little flower. who knew!?

hope some of this helps. now go get in the shade and have a big glass of water!

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