When youre running for the restroom regularly, you can quite often trace the runs to something you drank, ate, or a bacteria/virus youre battling. However, if you have diarrhoea and not a single clue why, its possible that other factors are at play.
Everyone occasionally gets diarrhoea. The common causes of diarrhoea include food sensitivities, infection, overeating, indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Best ways to prevent these are:
- Avoiding spoiled food
- Drinking bottled water while travelling
- Washing hands regularly with Dettol Hand Wash
That said, there are many unusual causes that can take some work to identify the underlying condition causing diarrhoea. Here are few such things, that may inconveniently send you sprinting to the washroom.
Medications
Many prescription and nonprescription medicines can cause stomach problems, including diarrhoea as a side effect. So, whether you’re taking antibiotics for a dental procedure, infection, or any other reason, they can cause an imbalance of bad and good bacteria in your gut, affecting the way your body processes food.
Other examples of medications that can cause diarrhoea include:
- Antidepressants
- Antacids
- Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
If your medication does bring on diarrhoea, ask your doctor to give you a different one to try.
Stress
Even though there are numerous health conditions having diarrhoea as a symptom, sometimes the causes of diarrhoea can simply be stress and anxiety. The reason that you encounter diarrhoea when you are stressed is that your body is programmed for the stress response, commonly referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response.
Thus, when the body comes across something that it perceives as threatening, it reacts with a variety of physical changes, including: muscle tensing, increase in heart and respiration rate, and most pertinent to the present discussion, increase in colon contractions. This increase in colon activity can result in diarrhoea.
Check the symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal as they may vary for different individuals and you may want to know them before you began the meds.
Erratic Sleeping Habits
Individuals with irregular sleeping schedules are more likely to experience irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that causes diarrhoea. Jobs that result in irregular sleeping schedule can affect your circadian rhythms, confusing your gut as your internal clock constantly resets.
Similarly, not getting enough sleep can result in body secreting more cortisol, which once again can speed up bowel movements. Therefore, go to bed and try waking up at the same time every day and get at least 8 hours of sleep.
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners, especially Sorbitol, which is found in many sugar-free products including chewing gum, sports drinks, juices, candy, and cough drops can cause diarrhoea in otherwise healthy individuals.
Cutting out products that contain this sweetener and checking ingredient labels before making a purchase can help things come back on track.
Intense Exercise
Regular exercise provides many health benefits, but when it comes to fitness, more may not always be better. Because extensive workout can transfer the blood supply from your gut to working muscles and may trigger diarrhoea.
Before exercising, its best to avoid caffeine, artificial sweeteners, high-fibre and high-fat foods, all of which can make things worse. Further, make sure to clean your hands with disinfectants like Dettol hand sanitizer after working out and touching gym equipment.
Diarrhoea: How Can You Prevent it?
When you are unable to trace the cause of diarrhoea, it is best to seek immediate medical care. Regardless of how long you’ve had it, talk to your doctor if testing is needed to determine the cause.
Although some of the above causes of diarrhoea are unavoidable, there are others that you can stay away from. For instance, you can make dietary changes to avoid foods triggering diarrhoea. Likewise, you can reduce your chances of getting infected by carefully washing your hands with Dettol Hand Wash before handling food and after going to the toilet.
Remember this: Prevention of diarrhoea is all about Water, Food and Toilet Hygiene!