If you experience bouts of diarrhea in the morning, you are not alone. Many people have issues or spastic colons that cause them to have loose bowel movements every day when they wake up.

Cramps caused by diarrhea can even cause you to wake up in the middle of the night to urgently relieve yourself in the bathroom and also keep you from getting  good nights rest. Whether it is early in the morning, or just when you wake up the need to defecate yourself frequently passing loose stools can be inconvenient..

Diarrhea in The Morning: Main Causes

This is not uncommon, however there can be other causes of diarrhea in the morning that may be more concerning or other un-diagnosed conditions that you need to get checked for by a medical physician. The main conditions that impact your bowel habits in the morning are IBS (irritable bowel syndrome )and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease).

Bacteria and Viruses

In the majority of circumstances, diarrhea in the morning can be caused by an infection, a virus, or food poisoning due to bacteria such as E.Coli. You can catch a flu/virus from being in contact with anyone who has had a previous stomach bug. Aldo you can get food poisoning or sick from food that is contaminated with bacteria such as E.Coli and Salmonella. Cases of diarrhea brought on by bacteria or by a virus normally worsen in the morning hours.

(IBS) Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS is a condition that needs to be ruled out by a doctor that may be causing you diarrhea in the morning. This condition is a result of the bowels inability to work properly to contract, bad diet, stress, food allergies, and more. IBS can be treated with medication, stress-relieving practices, and through understanding what it is that is instigating the bouts of the condition. Natural treatments for IBS include eating yogurt regularly such as Activia, using probiotics to improve digestive health and avoiding some factors that may worsen the condition at times.

Use of Alcohol, Illegal Drugs

Overuse of alcohol, or use of illegal drugs and substances can cause the side-effect of diarrhea. Because these are toxins in your body that have to be metabolized, processed, and removed- diarrhea in the morning is your body’s way of removing these materials from your body rapidly. Since most drugs or alcohol is used at nighttime- it takes several hours for your body to digest and metabolize it causing diarrhea several hours after use or consumption.

Medication, Side Effects

If you take any medications whether it is to treat conditions, pain relievers, anti-coagulants, anti-depressants, or antibiotics, you are prone to be sensitive to the many side-effects that these drugs may cause. Diarrhea and change in bowel habits is a fairly normal side-effect of most medications since they contain ingredients the body may determine is harmful and needs to be processed and expelled. Check your literature on the medicines you take to make sure that it is not a medication that you take regularly causing this- perhaps speaking with your doctor can also help you get a more suited medication that does not cause this adverse side effect.

(IBD) Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is also a disorder that can result in bouts of diarrhea in the morning. This disease is an effect of a chronic infection that causes the bowel wall to be inflamed. IBD is a general disorder, however there are many other health conditions such as Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and more that are grouped in this condition’s category. Symptoms of IBD include cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea with mucus, bloody diarrhea, and pain when passing stool.

Stress and Anxiety

Stress can bring on IBS symptoms for those diagnosed who suffer from the condition. However even if you do not have IBS or suffer from it, certain stresses in life can impact the function of the large intestine. The best thing you can do is try to relieve the stress in your life as much as possible until your bowel habits return to normal.

Pregnancy

Diarrhea before labor, and while being pregnant can cause you to have diarrhea in the morning. Besides morning sickness, changes in hormones brought about by pregnancy can really mess up your digestive system. This includes indigestion, heartburn, constipation, and diarrhea. This is commonly experienced by many women during pregnancy and should not be cause for any alarm unless you are near your due date (then it can be a sign of impending labor.) The wisest thing you can do if you experience this dreadfulness is to drink plenty of fluids, and try to remain as comfortable as possible.

Diarrhea in the Morning: Other Causes

While the circumstantial & conditional causes noted above are more of the most popularly diagnosed causes of diarrhea in the morning, there are other VERY minor causes that may cause this to be experienced in short-terms of time.

Midnight Eating and Eating Early in the Morning

If you are a midnight snacker, or if you eat past 8 at night or early in the morning your body pays the toll. This is another minor cause of diarrhea early in the morning that can cause one to have the bowel frequencies at the times where you have to wake up and immediately use the bathroom for relief.

Metabolic Time Clock Interference 

We as humans commonly have regular body habits. However, due to situations and time fluctuations- it is just common nature that your body can get out of whack. Whether you are traveling and have jet lag or just have been so wrapped up in a fast-paced life that you do not have the time to ‘go’ like you used to- this time clock interference can also impact our bowel habits negatively and cause either constipation or bouts of diarrhea in the morning.

Imbalance of Hormones

Hormones in both men and women peak at night and in the early hours in the morning. These hormonal fluctuations can cause you to get loose stools in the wee hours in the morning or right after waking up.

Treatments and Remedies for Diarrhea in the Morning

There are many steps you can take to help treat diarrhea in the morning including:

• Eating a balanced diet with all foods from the pyramid
• Eat yogurt and take a probiotic supplement to help promote optimal digestive health
• Avoid alcohol and use of illegal drugs
• Check your medications & consult with your doctor about options
• Take OTC anti-diarrheal medications such as Pepto & Mylanta