IBS news flash. Sleep apnea linked to IBS...

IBS news flash. Sleep apnea linked to IBS...

Common sleep disorder could cause or worsen IBS symptoms

There is an interesting link between sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Your body’s autonomic nervous system controls involuntary actions like heart beats and digestion.

That system has two divisions: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Your sympathetic system activates the "fight-or-flight" response.

Your parasympathetic system promotes "rest-and-digest" functions.

Sleep apnea, a very common sleep disorder, results in the acute and sustained activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

IBS patients also have an over-activation of their sympathetic system - plus a reduced parasympathetic nervous system function.

In IBS, this sympathetic activation leads to the perception of intestinal distention. That perception results in abdominal pain and bloating.

The sympathetic nerve dominance could be what links IBS and sleep apnea, as the increased sympathetic nervous system activity induces or worsens IBS symptoms.

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Heather

Heather Van Vorous Over 40 years dealing with IBSGet full help for IBS here