Are Writers More at Risk for IBS?

As a young musician, I used to joke that every solo performance
was an excellent way to lose weight.

I’d get nervous, you see, and my nerves would rile my stomach. It didn’t cost me any extra money or require special foods and it worked like a charm.

Over the decades, not much has changed. I’m one of those people for whom every emotion goes straight to my gut.

With all my experience as a health writer, I’ve begun to believe I probably have something akin to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Not something you want to talk about in mixed company, but recently, I’ve started to wonder if this may be something that afflicts writers and other creatives perhaps more than the general population.

Here’s why I’m thinking this, and how—if you’re one of our crowd—you can help yourself feel better.

What is IBS and How Can You Tell if You Might Have It?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that affects the large intestine, also called the colon. It creates a group of symptoms that occur even though there doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with the intestine or the muscles around it. Some of the most common symptoms include:

• Cramping
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Gas
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Change in bowel habits

These symptoms have a cyclical nature, occurring in “flares” at certain times and then subsiding at others. Fortunately, IBS doesn’t increase the risk of other complications like inflammatory bowel disease or cancer.

What Causes IBS?

Scientists don’t know what causes IBS. They do believe certain factors are involved, including:

• Abnormal intestinal muscle contractions.
• Abnormalities in the nervous system.
• Changes in the microbiome in the gut (balance of good and bad bacteria). Research indicates that the microflora in people with IBS may be different than that in people without IBS.

In some cases, IBS can develop after a severe infection in the colon, but in most cases, it simply seems to “exist” without any clear reason why.

People who have IBS find that it tends to flare up in response to certain triggers, including:

• Stress: When you’re stressed out, IBS typically flares up.
• Anxiety: Whatever makes you nervous or anxious will typically affect your gut, too.
• Food: Some people experience symptoms of IBS in response to certain foods.
• Hormones: Women are twice as likely as men to have IBS, which has led some to theorize that hormones may be involved. Many women experience worse symptoms of IBS during their menstrual periods.

There is no test to diagnose IBS, so doctors typically ask about symptoms, examine the abdomen, and use a series of other tests to rule out any other potential gastrointestinal disorders. Through the process of elimination, a diagnosis is reached.

There is also no “cure” for IBS, so treatment consists of managing and trying to reduce symptoms to improve quality of life.

Are Creative People More Vulnerable to IBS?

There are no studies showing that creative people are any more at risk for IBS than anyone else, but there is some research that caused me to wonder.

First are those studies that show a mental or emotional connection. In a 2016 review, for instance, researchers examined personality traits like neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness, along with emotional patterns, looking at their potential impact on IBS.

We know that personality traits and emotional patterns affect many physical functions, including immune activity, inflammation, hormonal activity, and more. This is likely because of the strong connection between the gut and the brain called the “brain-gut axis.” Along this axis run millions of nerves that travel back and forth, taking communication from the brain to the gut and vice-versa.

Any disturbance of this complex nervous system can put a wrench in the works, and people who are particularly sensitive or who have hyperreactive guts may experience symptoms as a result.

When looking into personality traits, scientists found that neuroticism seemed to be connected to IBS. Those with this trait are more likely than others to be moody and to experience anxiety, worry, fear, frustration, depressed mood, and loneliness, with high reactivity to physiological changes and vulnerability to stress.

Interestingly enough, other studies have found that creative people are also more vulnerable to these types of emotions.

Those with higher levels of neuroticism than the general population were found to be more likely to suffer from IBS, but at the same time, IBS patients were less neurotic than patients affected by major disorders like neurotic depression, anxiety phobic state, hysterical disorder, etc.

In other words, these folks may experience more than your average level of worry and anxiety, but not to any serious or treatable level. Just enough to make the gut miserable!

Other studies have found that people who are more neurotic and less extroverted (read: more introverted) were also more likely to suffer from IBS, which raises the question: Are introverts more susceptible?

Indeed, a 2005 study suggested this may be the case. Researchers found that IBS seemed to be connected to anxiety, depression, and an introverted personality. They found this to be true in children and adolescents, particularly—frequencies of anxiety, depression, and introverted personalities were higher in the IBS group.

There’s more. Some studies have found an association between neuroticism and a history of sexual, physical, and emotional/verbal abuse in IBS patients. Guess who else is more likely to have suffered a tough childhood? You got it—creative people.

In a 2018 study, psychologists from California State University found that a group of creative people, including actors, directors, designers, dancers, singers, and other musicians reported a higher level of childhood emotional abuse and neglect than the control group.

Scientists studying IBS separate from creativity have suggested a conceptual model for the disorder characterized by a “vicious circle” between mood disorders and bowel symptoms in adulthood, with initial input from early life factors.

Writers with IBS More Likely to be Conscientious

Here’s something else that may surprise you: Scientists have found a connection between IBS and high levels of conscientiousness.

People with this personality trait are careful, diligent, and take obligations to others seriously. They are efficient and organized, very self-disciplined, and like to do their jobs well. They’re also likely to be motivated by achievement. (Sound familiar?)

In a 2007 study, researchers found that people with IBS scored higher in neuroticism and conscientiousness compared to the general population. Conscientiousness was actually the highest dimension of personality discovered in this group of folks. Other studies have found similar results.

Don’t worry if you’re conscientious. Research indicates that a high level of this personality trait is a reliable predictor of longevity—in other words, odds are you’ll live a nice long life. You just may have to struggle with IBS along the way!

Writer Personality Traits that May be Associated with IBS

Other studies have shown conflicting results, so we can’t be sure about all this personality stuff quite yet. Amid all the research on the brain-gut axis, scientists continue to explore other potential physical reasons for the disorder as well and continue to make new discoveries.

In a recent study, for example, researchers found a significant connection between patients with IBS and those with migraine headaches—people with migraine were twice as likely to also have IBS as people with tension headache. They also found a potential genetic component affecting both that differed in people with these disorders and healthy participants.

So it’s important to realize that we still have a lot to learn. Still, considering the findings so far, we can suggest that if you recognize yourself in several of the following statements, you may be more at risk for IBS:

• You’re a conscientious person
• You’re introverted
• You are often anxious
• You’re extremely organized
• You often feel overwhelmed
• You suffer from depression, or frequently feel depressed
• You are a highly sensitive person
• People say you’re a worrywart
• You work hard and do your job really well
• You experience a high level of stress in your life
• You have a keen sense of responsibility and don’t like to let others down
• You tend to focus more on negative emotions than positive ones
• You suffer from mood swings
• You often feel nervous or tense
• You suffer from loneliness or feelings of isolation

5 Ways Writers Can Manage IBS Symptoms

Whether or not your IBS is somehow related to your personality or creativity, if you suffer from symptoms, you’re probably most concerned with finding relief. It’s always best to check with your doctor to rule out any other possible issues. It could be that you are sensitive to certain foods, for example, or that something else is going on.

Keep in mind that there is a spectrum of IBS disorders—they can range from mild to severe, so just because you’re not curled up in bed in pain doesn’t mean you don’t have the disorder. Watch your symptoms and triggers carefully to find clues.

If you do determine that IBS is affecting you, here are some suggestions that may help.

1. Stick to a routine.

Studies have shown that it’s the disruption of the brain-gut axis that can cause symptoms, so that means anything you can do not to disrupt it will likely help you.

This means:

• eating at the same times each day
• eating foods that you know are healthy and won’t bother you
• getting enough fiber from foods you can tolerate (people with IBS often need to avoid cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and other similar high-fiber foods, but can do well with whole grains, nuts, and most fruits and vegetables)
• drinking plenty of water
• avoiding problematic foods and beverages (like sugar-sweetened sodas and caffeine and alcohol if you’re sensitive to them)
• going to bed and getting up at the same time
• engaging in a daily stress-relieving activity, like meditation, yoga, or tai chi
• exercising daily for at least 30 minutes

2. Work on Staying Positive

People who test high in neuroticism (they tend to worry and have a lot of anxiety) who also have more negative thoughts than others experience worse symptoms of IBS than those who had fewer negative thoughts. In fact, negative emotions show up time and again as not only being connected to IBS, but to worsening its symptoms.

The more you can look on the sunny side of life, the better you will feel. This doesn’t mean you should fake feeling well, but rather that you should engage in activities that help bring out your positive emotions.

One of the best things you can do is to write a daily gratitude list. Jot down five things you’re grateful for each day. This simple activity has been found to boost mood in several studies.

Writers can easily get down when facing the difficulties that are ever-present in the business, so do your best to regularly work on keeping your emotions positive. Let go of the things you can’t control, and add in more mood-boosting activities into your life.

Try to focus more on feelings of happiness, joy, energy, vitality, and enthusiasm, and less on fear, sadness, guilt, anger, depression, and fatigue.

3. Practice Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga

Since there does seem to be a mental/emotional component to IBS, it makes sense that the more we can promote peace and calm in the brain, the more we will feel the same in the gut.

Indeed, studies have shown that mindfulness practices can help ease the symptoms of IBS. Researchers from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Florida State University randomly assigned 75 women with IBS to either a mindfulness training group or an IBS social-support group.

The mindfulness group learned about daily mindfulness practices, read from self-help books, and engaged in sitting and walking meditation and mindful yoga.

The social-support group attended weekly discussions on various topics, shared an “IBS-friendly” meal, and also read from a self-help book.

Results showed that compared with the support group, participants in the mindfulness group had greater reductions in IBS symptom severity immediately after the training (8 weeks) and at the 3-month follow-up. The researchers suggested that mindfulness training may have long-lasting beneficial effects, too.

Another study showed similar results—meditation created significant reductions in abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, and bloating. Scientists stated that continued use of meditation was particularly effective in reducing the symptoms of pain and bloating.

4. Talk to a Therapist

Particularly if you suffer from anxiety or chronic stress, it can help to address these issues with a therapist. Studies have shown that when IBS patients treat these conditions, their IBS symptoms often clear up as well. Books about mindfulness, reducing anxiety, and managing IBS can also be helpful.

5. Eat More Yogurt (and Kefir)

Some studies indicate that the microbiome in IBS patients is different from that in healthy patients. The microbiome is the natural balance of good and bad bacteria that live in the gut. As long as this balance is healthy, the body is healthy too. But if the bad bacteria get the upper hand, a lot of things go out of whack, including digestion, immune function, and even mood.

Many things can disrupt a healthy microbiome, including a poor diet, treatment with antibiotics, and a serious illness. Probiotics are nutrients that feed the good bacteria in your gut and thus help restore a healthy balance.

There are probiotic supplements out there, but so far we don’t know enough about them to know how well they work (or not). Some people taking supplements experience the very symptoms IBS patients are trying to minimize.

Your best bet is to get your probiotics from food. Yogurt and kefir are two of the best options, but you can also get them from kombucha tea, tempeh, kimchi, naturally fermented pickles (without added vinegar), traditional buttermilk, gouda cheese, and unpasteurized sauerkraut.

Are you a creative person with IBS?

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