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14. Constipation
The link between cortisol and bowel movements is much more complex than you might at first realize – much like the link between cortisol and appetite!
In the case of bowel movements, cortisol can effectively suppress the activity of the bowels and particularly of bowel movements. It does this because in the wild – where the fight or flight response would have meant we were running away from predation or getting into a fight – we wouldn’t have wanted to have had to stop to go to the toilet while in a life-or-death situation!
In some cases then, cortisol may cause constipation. At the same time though, it can also have the opposite effect and cause you to empty your bowels. While it is not fully understood, it is generally thought that cortisol/stress and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) are also closely linked together.