Nightime episodes IBS?

[AHG123]

For nearly 3 years I have had an increasing number of nights where I wake about 04.30 with an intense frontal headache, pounding heart, feeling agitated, needing a wee and I am windy.

I was diagnosed with IBS some years ago but during these nighttime episodes I don’t have any other stomach symptoms. I often do a soft motion on getting out of bed about 06.00.

I try to reduce sugar and eliminate gluten but this isn’t always the answer.

I have had lots of blood tests with nothing showing as abnormal.

I am a 63 year old female and don’t take any medication.

Do these sound like IBS symptoms to you?

Thanks.

[heartmatters1]

The gut & brain are linked through the vagus nerve, so all sorts of symptoms are felt. I have extensive diverticulosis & have been suffering with everything recently. Your headaches could be caused by dehydration. I have to make sure I drink loads of water, which I find difficult. My bowels are in constant turmoil: painful, windy, constipation & diarrhoea, seems to have an effect on my bladder too 😖. My mental health is affected too as, in health anxiety. Have you had any other tests, ie colonoscopy?

[AHG123 in reply to heartmatters1]

Thank you for your reply.

I drink over 1.5l during the day but few sips in the evening.

Not had a colonoscopy for a number of years. My GP has me down as ‘health anxious’.

[heartmatters1 in reply to AHG123]

Me too all bloods normal except raised calcium which is freaking me out!

Hope things settle down for you soon.

[Viklou in reply to heartmatters1]

With raised calcium get you doctor to check your parathyroid hormone level vit D and Calcium at the same time. Almost everyone in the North of the world lacks vit d over winter but if calcium and pth are both raised you could have Hyperparathyroidism

[heartmatters1 in reply to Viklou]

Thanks for your response. I do have vit D deficiency & raised calcium levels & I had to ask if they could check thyroid, so i had another blood test & they said all ok 🤷‍♀️.

[Viklou in reply to heartmatters1]

They need to check your parathyroid not thyroid

[AHG123 in reply to Viklou]

I will look at that. Thanks

[welsh12]

Sounds like stress and anxiety

[AHG123 in reply to welsh12]

But it’s not.

[welsh12 in reply to AHG123]

OK best ask your Dr

[AHG123]

Have been doing so for 3 years. Blood tests ok so what? It’s not happening? You don’t know?

[Gillyflower18]

I used to get these symptoms before they found out I had sleep apnea. Very seldom not that I’m on Cpap.

[AHG123 in reply to Gillyflower18]

GP did go through sleep apnea questions with me as I know I snore and do wake with a dry mouth but he dismissed it. Thanks for your reply.

[Tuscansun]

check your bedroom (and your house) for mould - and I mean mould spores in the air. Mould mycotoxins can trigger those symptoms.

[AHG123]

heck that’s another angle. I have had rhinitis for years and use a nasal dilator. These issues began in my previous house. I was told years ago I was allergic to mould and dust mites. I bought a new bed when I moved here 18 months ago.

Thanks for your reply.

[Carercmb]

No they don’t sound like IBS symptoms at all .

Sounds like sinus problems which nearly always give you a headache .

The pounding heart etc sounds like a mild panic attack .

Only elimination from your GP can help you.

[buggins55]

I have had similar symptoms in the night over the years turns out (for me) to be the vagus nerve reacting also makes me feel faint even though i am laying down it is sometimes but not always followed by a bm (yes even in the middle of the night) and I go back to sleep and then feel rough when I wake up and for a while during the day fortunately these episodes are rare now I have IBS c hopefully this will pass for you as IBS symptoms are ever changing

[AHG123 in reply to buggins55]

How was an issue with the vagus nerve diagnosed and what did you do about it?

Thank you for your help.

[buggins55 in reply to AHG123]

The vagus nerve thing is diagnosed by the symptoms and ruling out other things as with IBS I discovered mine when I experienced a strong response to a badly carried out mammogram which over stimulated the vagus nerve and made me quite ill with the same effects as i get in the middle of the night and during the day with IBS 'spasms' the doctor explained that the colon cramps affect this main nerve in the body which can in turn affect blood pressure momentarily causing the faintness and raise anxiety in the process the sudden waking may have something to do with this as well I also wake with headaches but I think that's because I sometimes snore and get dehydrated! as with most of these symptoms there is no magic bullet but bear in mind that anxiety and health anxiety often go hand in hand with IBS and it's not unknown to wake suddenly in the night with a panic attack seemingly out of nowhere I find that doing relaxation and meditation help when I have issues in the night and i'll distract myself with a book or something until symptoms settle and try not to worry (I know easier to say than do )

[LFHell in reply to buggins55]

Do you get tremors? I had diorrhea after a meal out and my hands were shaking. Gastro said it was vagus nerve activation but i dont usually get this.

[buggins55 in reply to LFHell]

yes recently I have been but I don't know if that is just the vagus nerve, just feeling generally weak and rotten or anxiety

[LFHell in reply to buggins55]

That sucks, i only had it once but scary. I ate a high fat meal but not sure the exact cause. They offered me vegan mayo but i opted for normal mayo even tho my friend said sometimes the cheap ones contain dairy so it could have been that. But also had gf scones with vegan cream on them, and they overloaded them with cream and jam so also could have been that :/

[LFHell in reply to LFHell]

I have read that fat is bad for leaky gut. And also it makes this bacteria i have bloom - bilophila. I think too much fat may generally be bad for ibs sufferers but im just guessing from what i've read in papers.

[LFHell in reply to buggins55]

It worried me you say you need a bowel movement in middle of night as gastroenterologist on Zoe (youtube episode on what type of gut issues you have) said that digestive process shuts down at night and if you need a bowel movement in the night it might be something more inflammatory i think he said... Did you ever mention this to a gastroenterologist? Also is the vagus nerve between the stomach and the brain? I did notice i could eat more on holiday recently that usualy can't and wonder if its coz i was walking 12km a day. But i can't do that when working, it takes too much time!! I am trying to do more exercise though as exercise is good for gut microbes!

[buggins55 in reply to LFHell]

yes I have seen that but have also through research and talking to other IBS friends and sufferers that it is not all that uncommon and is it is a rare occurrence for me (once a year maybe) I am not worried if it was happening all the time yes I would worry, the system is resting and digesting by night ready for the morning BM and that might occasionally mean that the gut spasms go into overdrive and prompt the vagus nerve into reacting in the night (it happens more often in the day though for me) then so be it! the vagus nerve is a very long nerve that runs through a large chunk of the body connecting vital organs including stomach and brain so can have quite an effect on bodily systems, exercise is great for the digestion unfortunately I go through periods of feeling so tired and lacking in energy that can be hard but I try

[Frasina]

I heed what others have said; it does not sound like IBS....however, your doctors assumption of health anxiety could be correct. Something is triggering this response and the more that you are not finding the reason behind it, the more the response occurs. Perhaps it is worth addressing some of the symptoms rather than searching for the cause as that in itself is stressful and could be exacerbating your symptoms. There are various things you could try; peppermint capsules for wind, a paracetamol for headache... a sympathetic GP may even short term give you a beta blocker such as propranolol to help with symptoms. I am speaking from experience here as asides my IBS/IBD I also have a type of migraine and propranolol helps a lot.

[AMH123]

HelloI too have frequent awakenings during the night with an awful headache. It sometimes lasts the day. I've never related it to IBS but I read about Hypnic Headaches. This could be what you are experiencing.

[AHG123 in reply to AMH123]

Yes recently read about that. I have a heavy heat pad which I put on my forehead and this helps somewhat.

Thank you for your reply.

[xjrs]

I'm wondering if your reduction in water in the evening is making you dehydrated overnight. I used to wake up every night with a pounding heart which settled when I took a drink of water which I used to have by my bedside. I suppose you could test this by drinking water as soon as it happens. I now drink more water in the evening and these episodes stopped. Perhaps it's trying to find the right balance for what your body needs and not needing to get up for a pee in the night. Though would getting up for a pee in the night be less bothersome than these symptoms (if that is the cause)? They say that 2 litres of water a day is the requirement.

In terms of the potential for mould, I have rhinitis too and I found mould in my bedroom due to poor ventilation in an ensuite bathroom, which was ultimately fixed. I used to run an air purifier for an hour or so before bedtime which helped. I also now religiously open the bedroom window prior to bedtime to air the room, which helps with overnight breathing/rhinitis. I need to use a Nozavent too.

[Edgar77]

It's worth keeping an eye on your blood pressure. It may be the cause of head ache and the pounding in your head.

[JumpJiving]

It could be all sorts of things. If you find yourself fatigued and/or dizzy and/or shaky during the day, get a 9AM cortisol test done to rule out adrenal insufficiency (cortisol levels naturally drop overnight but should rise before waking - if they get too low you can end up with symptoms as you describe)

[welsh12 in reply to JumpJiving]

What's a cortisol test?

[JumpJiving in reply to welsh12]

It’s a simple blood test, but wants to be done at 9am

[Poppyseed8]

when you say you drink 1.5 litres is that water or just the amount of fluid a day because if you have IBS loose stools you loose lots of fluid that way so I think you cold be dehydrated I suffered from hormonal migraines and they all started around 4 am I always have 1.5 litres of water a day then always drink a glass before I go to bed but have several cups of tea throughout the day as well so I have around 2.5 litres of fluid

[AHG123]

I probably manage 2l of fluid in total. No loose stools. Have needed to get up once a night to pee for years so don’t drink after 6pm. Yes I will have more than a sip when I get up at 02.00

[LFHell]

I dont know. If you listen to Zoe podcast, episode on what type of gut issue you have, it said the digestive process switches off at night and so ibs patients dont wake up during the night needing a bowel movement anyway, if you need a bowel movement in the middle of the night, then i think its something else... Tho i often wake up earlier than my usual wake time but not the middle of the night if i've eaten a trigger food. I mentioned this to researcher this week and she said ibs patients often wake up with anxiety about their symptoms? if you have a gastroenteroligst, i think worth mentioning to him. Or telling your gp.

[AHG123 in reply to LFHell]

Sadly nearly 5 months ago I discovered I had cancer. STILL don’t have a firm diagnosis-bile duct or pancreatic. I do believe my strange set of symptoms despite normal blood tests were symptoms of problems with liver/pancreas.

Good luck to you.

[LFHell in reply to AHG123]

I'm so sorry.