Calming techniques like deep breathing or meditation may help you relax. Make sure you get enough exercise and sleep, too. And set limits on how much you take on. That way, you won't have too much to do when a flare hits and you don't feel well.
Rollhauser recommends avoiding fat, spicy foods, alcohol, and fiber, especially during a flare-up, because they can worsen diarrhea and cramping. “Bland foods and clear liquids are best during a flare,” Walker-Oaks says.
According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (CCF), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — medications including aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen — can also trigger a flare. The foundation advises people with Crohn's disease to take acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol, for pain if necessary instead of an NSAID.
Crohn's affects approximately 500,000 Americans and is a chronic, lifelong condition that typically alternates between periods of relatively stable or absent symptoms (remission) and periods of symptom flare-ups that can last for days, weeks, or even months.
A Crohn's flare can totally deplete you of energy. Don't underestimate the importance of rest, says Dr. Horst. Make sure you're getting seven to nine hours at night, and don't be afraid to nap during the day.
There are several reasons why someone might experience worse Crohn's or ulcerative colitis symptoms in the morning. Waking up increases colon activity in everyone. (The colon is the part of your large intestine connected to the small intestine. The other end of the colon leads to the rectum, which leads to the anus.)
A person with Crohn's disease may choose to avoid certain foods and drinks that can trigger or worsen a flare-up. Foods to avoid may include high fiber foods, spicy foods, some dairy products, and more. People living with Crohn's disease are subject to flare-ups. These are periods of inflammation.
We won't sugarcoat it: Getting through a flare-up sucks. Crohn's disease symptoms like abdominal pain and cramping, heavy fatigue, and nonstop diarrhea can range from uncomfortable to straight-up painful, and they tend to get in the way of day-to-day life.
The right lower quadrant or middle of your lower abdomen are common Crohn's disease pain locations. It's often described as a cramping pain.
Although there's no firm evidence that any particular foods cause Crohn's disease, certain things seem to aggravate flare-ups. So a food diary can help you identify personal triggers. Beyond that, limit dairy products, eating smaller meals, stay hydrated, and try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and carbonation.
Indeed, a review published in December 2020 in BMC Gastroenterology found that dairy, gluten, animal fat, packaged foods, coffee, and alcohol are all associated with an increase in disease activity.
If your bowel movements are suddenly more frequent, you can't keep up with your hydration, you're experiencing significant pain, or your medication stops working, it's time to go to the hospital and get the flare under control. There, they can rule out any infections and administer medication or hydration by IV.
People with Crohn's disease experience flare-ups, during which symptoms like diarrhea, cramping, fever, fatigue, and joint pain are active. Flares can be triggered by factors like dietary changes, new medications, antibiotic use, stress, or infections.
Opt for mango and banana during a Crohn's flare, and skip berries with seeds, which might irritate your digestive tract, but feel free to include blueberries. Fluids also keep you hydrated.
Limiting some food triggers may help control your symptoms during disease flares. But don't restrict yourself so much that you make malnutrition, which often accompanies Crohn's disease, worse.
You may find that your Crohn's or Colitis makes it hard to get enough nutrients into your body. This may contribute to you feeling fatigued. If your gut is inflamed and sore it cannot soak up (absorb) the nutrients your body needs.
Clinical practice guidelines recommend that people with IBD avoid caffeine1, though there is very little specific evidence that links caffeine to causing or worsening IBD symptoms. Some people choose to avoid it due to some of the side effects it can have which may affect their IBD.
1-4 The strongest risk factor for Crohn's disease is having a relative with the disease.