It is not easy to manage Crohn’s disease, however, by sticking with your daily habits and by avoiding some things that might trigger the illness, you actually might be able to stop a flare before it even starts.
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You should focus on food, fitness, and medications
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It does not necessarily mean that you will have to battle frequent flares for the rest of your life if you have Crohn’s disease. It is quite important to have a healthy lifestyle since you will be able to manage the illness and symptoms better, as well as stay in remission. Specific things about this disease are out of your control, however, there are things that you can control, like not smoking, getting enough sleep, taking your medicine, reducing stress, and avoiding food that might trigger flares. This might seem difficult, but it is not impossible to do. According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, about 50% of people with this illness are able to experience remission, and about 45% have successfully avoided flares for a year.
Here are some tips:
1. Scale down your meals
If you are looking for ways to avoid flares, you should stop overeating. Eating smaller meals is less difficult on the gastrointestinal tract and it will most certainly reduce symptoms like cramping and bloating. Instead of eating the usual three meals each day, you should choose more frequent, smaller meals and snack as a part of your management plan. Keep in mind that you should take enough nutrients and calories during the day.
2. Exercise regularly
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Exercise can be a perfect way to control symptoms of this illness and avoid a flare since exercise boosts the immune system, as well as reduces stress. You should choose exercises that you like since you will probably stick to it. However, you should opt for exercise that combines cardiovascular activities, as well as strength training at least three days a week.
3. Boost gut bacteria
Bacteria that can be found in your stomach might play a major role in the inflammation that usually occurs in Crohn’s disease and probiotics could help you with that. Some studies suggest that probiotics could promote remission in people with inflammatory bowel illness. Using probiotics to gain good gut bacteria is something that carries no risks, however, it does carry high-reward tactics for people with digestive illnesses.
4. Avoid alcohol and stay away from cigarettes
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Moderate or excessive consumption of alcohol might trigger a flare. This is especially true for alcohol that contains a lot of sugar. You should figure out how your body reacts to specific alcohol, and either avoid it completely or limit your consumption. Also, one of the most important things when it comes to managing Crohn’s disease is not smoking. People suffering from Crohn’s disease are often smokers and it is more likely that smoking will cause serious flares.
5. Mind your medications
A healthy lifestyle is quite important, however, lifestyle changes will not control this disease by itself. Hence, this makes it really important to stick with your medical plan. A lot of doctors prescribe Entyvio, which is medicine used to treat Crohn’s disease or severe ulcerative colitis. If you are interested in finding more facts about this medication, check out this website.
6. Stress less and sleep more
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It is likely that stress will not cause a flare, however, a lot of people find that it often worsens the symptoms. Hence, managing stress is one of the most efficient ways to control this illness. You can do various things to reduce the stress you might be feeling, things like exercise, meditation, or hanging out with your family members or friends. It is also crucial to get enough sleep. It should be your top priority since it will affect your stress level, as well as energy levels. In order to prevent flares from happening, it is important to get enough sleep.
Conclusion
These are some ways that you can battle this illness and they will most certainly make your fight against Crohn’s disease easier.
