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Key Takeaways
Though some celebrities are open about their ulcerative colitis diagnoses, people are
Stress and anxiety can worsen symptoms and are more common in people with inflammatory bowel disease than the general population
Experts recommend stress management, sleep, exercise, and therapy to help break the cycle of flares and emotional distress
Celebrities including Brian Austin Green, Amy Brenneman, and Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds have been vocal about their struggles with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes sores inside the colon, in hopes of raising awareness about the condition and destigmatizing it.
But for some others with the chronic autoimmune condition suffer in silence, feeling so embarrassed by their symptoms — which may include loose and urgent bowel movements, persistent diarrhea, and urgency to use the bathroom — that it impacts their mental health.
“Stress and anxiety are very common in people living with inflammatory bowel disease,” Dr. Alan Moss, chief scientific officer of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, tells PEOPLE. “Studies show that they are two to three times more likely to experience anxiety or depression than the general population.”
Ulcerative colitis is typically diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 30, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases. The exact cause is not known. but Moss says it involves a mix of abnormal immune responses, genetics, the gut microbiome, and environmental factors such as infections. When stress interacts with these underlying factors, it can influence when symptoms flare.
“Stress activates the brain–gut axis, a two-way communication system between the mind and the digestive tract,” Moss says. “Patients are more likely to flare under high stress, highlighting that stress can be a real biological trigger, not ‘just in someone’s head.’” At the same time, flares themselves are stressful, creating a vicious cycle in which symptoms and emotional distress feed into each other.
That’s why managing mental health is an important part of ulcerative colitis care, alongside medicines that control inflammation, says Moss. Here are some coping strategies recommended by Moss and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
Relaxation exercises
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Stress-reduction techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and tensing and relaxing muscle groups can calm the nervous system and help patients feel more in control of their symptoms, says Moss.
Plenty of sleep
Lack of sleep can exacerbate fatigue and depression, and increase inflammation, so it’s crucial to stay well rested. While the recommended number of hours varies by age and lifestyle, 8 is the average for adults ages 18 to 64, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Therapy
Treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and gut-directed hypnotherapy have been shown to improve quality of life, support better coping, and in some studies, are linked with longer remission and reduced inflammation, says Moss.
Physical activity
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Physical activities including walking, bicycling, or hitting the gym can stimulate brain chemicals that boost the mood and relieve anxiety, according to the Mayo Clinic. Because ulcerative colitis is a relapsing–remitting disease, many people go through quiet periods and then experience flares when inflammation ramps up again. Patients should work with their doctors to determine which activities are safest during periods of inflammation and remission.
“Building a support system, protecting sleep, staying physically active as tolerated, and working with mental health professionals when needed all help break the stress-flare cycle so that emotional triggers are less likely to drive a new bout of disease activity,” says Moss.
Indeed, Imagine Dragons’ Reynolds has talked openly about how much dedication he puts in to work out, eat healthy and reduce stress in order to keep his symptoms at bay.
“My ulcerative colitis has been in remission for many years,” he told Rolling Stone. “[Ankylosing spondylitis, a linked autoimmune condition], I still flare at least a couple of times a year, but I usually can get it under control with just a strict diet. l’ll give myself a shot of a biologic once or twice a year if I’m having a really bad flare. That happens if I’m really stressed or something, and sometimes it’ll be more often than that, but usually with diet and exercise I can keep it under control.”
Read the original article on People
