Mind Your Gut: Stress, IBS, and What You Might Be Missing

April is IBS Awareness Month—and by now, you may already know the basics.

If you’re new to IBS or wondering how fiber fits in, you might start with our earlier post: 

👉 Gut Harmony: The IBS Guide — where we walk through types of IBS, symptom triggers, and how soluble fiber can help.

We’ve also shared practical tips for daily life in:

👉 10 Tips to Manage IBS for an Adventure-Ready Gut — including food rhythms, hydration, and how to support your gut while staying active and travel-ready.

But this time, we’re shining a light on something many people with IBS experience, but rarely connect: The way stress and blood sugar shifts can impact digestion—and the ripple effects that follow. 

When Stress Hits, So Does Your Gut

Most people think of IBS as a digestive condition. And it is. But it’s also part of a bigger conversation happening inside the body—between the brain, the gut, and the nervous system. When you feel anxious or overwhelmed, your body doesn’t just feel it emotionally—it responds physically.

Cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, affects how quickly or slowly your digestive system moves. Some people experience cramping and urgency. Others feel constipated for days. Either way, it’s exhausting.

For many with IBS, flare-ups don’t happen out of nowhere. 

They often follow:

• a few sleepless nights

• personal or professional pressures

• a skipped meal and/or poor hydration

That’s not a coincidence. That’s the gut-brain axis in action.

IBS Isn’t Just a “Tummy Issue”

Stress and IBS not only affect digestion, symptoms often ripple through your entire body—showing up as fatigue, irritability, food sensitivity, brain fog, and even blood sugar crashes. 

Many people with IBS find themselves constantly troubleshooting: “Is it what I ate? Or what I didn’t eat? How stressed was I today?”

It’s no wonder people feel like IBS is in the driver’s seat of life. 

But here’s the thing: you’re not imagining it. Your gut and your brain are in constant communication. And when that conversation gets disrupted, symptoms tend to follow. 

The Overlooked Link Between IBS and Insulin Resistance

There’s growing evidence that people with IBS are more likely to experience insulin resistance, a condition where the body doesn’t respond well to insulin and struggles to regulate blood sugar effectively. This connection doesn’t get talked about nearly enough—yet it may help explain some of the fatigue, brain fog, and energy swings that often go hand-in-hand with IBS.

Here's how the two are connected:

• Gut inflammation impacts insulin signaling. Ongoing inflammation in the gut—common with IBS—can interfere with how the body responds to insulin. Over time, this can lead to more frequent blood sugar spikes and greater insulin resistance. 
  
  

• Stress drives up blood sugar. Cortisol raises blood glucose levels as part of the fight-or-flight response. In people with IBS, the gut is already more sensitive to these stress shifts, which may amplify symptoms. 
  
  

• Erratic digestion affects nutrient absorption. When digestion is unpredictable—rushed, slowed, or interrupted by symptoms—it affects how glucose is absorbed and used. This can contribute to highs and lows in blood sugar, energy, and mood. 
  
  

• Food restriction can make things even worse. Many people with IBS avoid entire food groups to minimize discomfort. However, overly restrictive or inconsistent eating can lead to nutrient deficiencies, glucose instability, and metabolic stress. 
  
  

This creates a frustrating cycle: gut issues disrupt blood sugar, and unstable blood sugar can trigger more gut symptoms. Add stress to the mix, and the body stays in a reactive state, rather than a balanced one. 

A peer-reviewed study published in The American Journal of Medicine found that people with IBS were significantly more likely to have signs of prediabetes, suggesting that blood sugar dysregulation may be more common in IBS than many realize. [Source]

But there’s a way to support this cycle—and it starts with understanding the role of soluble fiber. 

Soluble Fiber: A Daily Anchor for Gut & Metabolic Support

When digestion is unpredictable and blood sugar is out of rhythm, it can feel like your body is working against you. But soluble fiber offers steady, evidence-based support that helps regulate both digestion and metabolic balance.

Let’s clear up a common misconception: not all fiber is harsh on IBS. In fact, many people find that soluble fiber, like the kind in just better.®, is one of the few forms that actually brings comfort and consistency to their day.

just better.® prebiotic fiber is made from one single ingredient: Soluble non-GMO corn fiber. It dissolves completely (no grit, no texture, no taste), and ferments slowly in the gut, and FODMAP friendly, making it a gentle option for people with IBS.

Why does that matter?

• It helps regulate digestion in both directions (not too fast and not too slow)—supporting a smoother, more predictable gut rhythm. 
  
  

• It plays a key role in blood sugar balance when taken with meals and snacks, helping to prevent energy crashes, brain fog, and mood swings. 
  
  

• It provides consistent prebiotic support to your microbiome, without the bloating or discomfort that many other fibers cause. 
  
  

If you are someone who is concerned about insulin resistance, timing is key: Add two tablespoons of just better.® with meals and snacks. This simple shift can help your gut stay more responsive and your blood sugar more stable, especially on high-stress days. 

Supporting Your Gut Without the Overwhelm

IBS is layered. It changes from day to day. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all fix, there are ways to build more stability into your system—without overhauling your life.

Supporting your gut might look like:

• Creating calm, distraction-free mealtimes (yes, that includes putting the phone down) 
  
  

• Choosing foods and supplements that support your gut health 
  
  

• Finding a gentle rhythm with food, rest, and movement 
  
  

• Listening to your gut’s cues—and honoring what it needs

IBS is frequently misunderstood, especially when symptoms shift or don’t follow a clear pattern. But the experiences are real. There’s power in understanding what’s happening beneath the surface—and sometimes, knowing there’s a connection between stress, digestion, and blood sugar can make things feel a little less frustrating, and much more manageable. 

just better.® fiber Customer Review: This product is a miracle!  I’ve suffered with IBS-C for years, and once I started using this product regularly have become “regular”. I can’t go without it now. It is so easy to take, dissolves so well. I take it 3 times a day. So glad I found it! —Sharon N.