Morning diarrhea is often caused by irritable bowel syndrome, adverse reactions to medication, digestive disorders, bacteria or viruses. Changes in diet and medication can help, but chronic cases may require medical attention, including lab work and a colonoscopy.
The most common cause of morning diarrhea — that is, diarrhea that occurs in the early morning or shortly after waking up but doesn’t persist throughout the day — is irritable bowel syndrome, a medical condition in which the intestines react abnormally anomalous and often quite unpredictable. Other common causes include adverse reactions to prescription drugs, especially antibiotics, and digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease. Bacteria and some viruses could also be the cause. People who notice ongoing morning diarrhea are usually advised to get medical help. Problems like food poisoning usually go away on their own, but other more complicated syndromes or conditions may require treatment. Even with treatment, diarrhea may not go away completely, but getting things under control can prevent it from getting worse.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common cause and is usually the first medical condition that patients will be checked for when these types of symptoms occur. IBS is caused when the intestines and colon don’t contract as easily as they should and can usually be traced to a person’s diet. Changes in basic eating patterns often fix this problem, whether it’s simply eating earlier in the evening or eating healthier, more natural foods that are low in salt and other irritants. Yogurts with live, active cultures and bananas are two common foods recommended for healing and improved stool stability. Allergic reactions to specific foods can also cause IBS.
Drug reactions
Some medications can also affect stool. Antibiotics Are Often Particularly Problematic While antibiotic-related problems can actually occur at any time of day, morning diarrhea is usually the most common because when a person wakes up, so do the various internal organs of the body, at least in some sense. ; they come out of a dormant state and become more active. Medications that have been sitting in the bloodstream overnight often cause the most severe reaction during this “reboot” phase.
Illnesses
Various diseases can also cause problems with stool in the morning, perhaps most notably Crohn’s disease, which is a condition that affects the lining of the colon; colon cancer; and colitis, or inflammation of the large intestine. All three of these are considered “chronic,” meaning in part that they won’t go away on their own. Everyone also has a long list of symptoms that go beyond just morning diarrhea. Diarrhea is usually one of the first indicators that something is wrong, but it is rarely enough to make a diagnosis.
Bacteria and viruses
Sometimes the problem can be caused by a bacterial or viral infection that a person has contracted, usually from contaminated food. Standard food poisoning and E. coli are usually among the most common. While these types of infections typically cause daytime vomiting and diarrhea, it sometimes only happens in the morning if the reaction is mild or only related to something that was consumed just before bedtime.
How to get help
Getting to the root cause of the problem can be difficult in part because there are so many different potential culprits. The most accurate and usually safest way for people to get answers is to schedule a visit with a licensed physician. Providers usually start by learning about the person’s lifestyle, including stress, diet, and exercise patterns; in some cases, simple changes here are all it takes to see positive change. However, lab work may also be needed, including tissue samples from the intestines and stool samples.
People who have chronic morning diarrhea, meaning it happens more or less every day, may also need a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is a basic procedure in which a small camera is inserted through the rectum and through the intestines and colon. It’s designed to give healthcare professionals a real “inside” look at what’s going on in the lower digestive tract and can really aid in the diagnosis of things like colon cancer and Crohn’s disease.
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