Living With Crohn's Disease and Smoking
The use of tobacco products is thought to make the
symptoms of Crohn's disease worse. So, if you smoke or use other tobacco products, you may find that quitting reduces your symptoms. Tobacco products include:
- Cigarettes
- Cigars
- Pipe tobacco
- Chewing tobacco
- Snuff.
Reducing Stress as Part of Living With Crohn's
Another lifestyle change you may want to make is to learn more ways to manage stress. Although stress doesn't cause
Crohn's disease, it can make your
Crohn's symptoms worse. Many events, such as family problems or the death of a loved one, can cause obvious stress, but everyday events like getting stuck in traffic can also stress your body. And though the connection between stress and Crohn's disease isn't well understood, learning to deal more effectively with stress may help relieve your symptoms.
Some of the ways you may try to reduce stress include:
- Biofeedback, which teaches you to use your thoughts to control things like muscle tension and heart rate
- Regular exercise
- Yoga
- Getting regular massages
- Deep breathing techniques
- Meditation
- Setting aside time to do the things you enjoy.
Mental health counseling can be helpful for some people. This can include learning new techniques for handling the everyday stresses of life. Sometimes just talking about these things can help reduce your stress levels.
You may find that talking to other people who have Crohn's disease can be helpful and reassuring. You can ask your healthcare provider about support groups and other organizations that may have more information for you. Some people use the Internet to find this information as well.
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