Why Do I Have Morning Diarrhea? Causes & What to Do

Key takeaways:

• Diarrhea in the morning can be due to multiple causes, and most of them are not serious.
• You may find a pattern in the frequency and severity of your morning diarrhea or notice potential triggers.
• If morning diarrhea persists for a long time, you may need to call your primary care provider.

Diarrhea can be a frustrating symptom, especially if it persists for a long period or gets worse despite attempted treatment. You might notice a pattern with your symptoms, such as your diarrhea occurring at a specific time of the day. Maybe you’re only experiencing diarrhea in the mornings. Regardless, there are numerous causes of diarrhea, and the likelihood of each cause varies based on factors like age, medical history, medications, family history, travel history, and more.

Fortunately, there are at-home treatment options you can use to help manage your morning diarrhea. In rare cases, you may need to call your doctor or receive emergency medical care.

Is morning diarrhea normal?

It might be normal for you, and in most cases, diarrhea in the morning is not caused by something serious.

Diarrhea is defined as a change in the consistency of your stools to looser, less formed bowel movements and more than three stools daily. The Bristol stool chart is a tool that helps define the consistency of stools; types between 5 and 7 fit the definition of diarrhea.

Causes of diarrhea in the morning

There are numerous potential causes of diarrhea in the morning. Diarrhea can be caused by organic changes in the gastrointestinal tract. One of these changes is malabsorption, where there is an underlying physiologic, anatomical, or biochemical change in the body. There are also functional causes where there are no abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder that may be associated with morning diarrhea. It is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder. IBS can cause multiple symptoms, including stomach pain or significant changes in stooling pattern.

A large spectrum of symptoms and changes in stooling patterns can occur with IBS. You can have both constipation and diarrhea, with frequent changes between these two extremes. It is important to note that patients with IBS often experience frequent, small to moderate-volume diarrhea, sometimes with mucus mixed into the stool.

There may also be a time pattern with the diarrhea, as patients often experience this diarrhea in the morning or after eating. In addition to diarrhea in the morning, patients with IBS may also experience urgency, the sudden sensation of needing to use the bathroom, which can cause anxiety due to not knowing when you may need to go next.

Medications, food, and other ingestions

Another potential cause of morning diarrhea is food, recent medications, or other ingestions. Even if you have no previous history of allergic reactions or other issues with a particular food, food sensitivities can suddenly develop for no reason.

If you notice that your symptoms occur after eating a specific food or type of food, your diarrhea may be due to that food. Similarly, some medications can cause diarrhea.

One of the most common types of medications that can cause diarrhea is antibiotics. Discuss this with your prescriber, as there are risks with stopping your antibiotics early. You may benefit from additional medications to help with your symptoms.

Malabsorptive syndromes

Malabsorptive syndromes may be causing your diarrhea. These occur when your body is unable to properly absorb and digest a specific type of food. Multiple malabsorptive syndromes exist. One is lactose intolerance, where patients cannot properly digest and absorb lactose-containing foods, such as dairy products. Celiac disease, where patients cannot properly digest and absorb gluten-containing foods, is another.

You may experience associated symptoms of weight loss or additional changes to your stool, such as greasy, pale, or especially foul-smelling stools, that may raise suspicion for malabsorption.

Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis, or stomach flu, is a condition characterized by inflammation of the intestinal tract. You may experience associated symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and possibly abdominal pain. In most cases, gastroenteritis is a self-resolving illness. Diarrhea associated with gastroenteritis can occur at any point in the day, although your symptoms may be worse in the morning.

Stress

As noted above, patients with IBS typically experience worsening symptoms whenever they experience stress. Even for patients without IBS, however, stress can be a cause of diarrhea in the morning.

Causes of morning diarrhea based on another symptom, condition, or situation

Your morning diarrhea may be occurring with other notable symptoms. These may be connected with particular conditions or situations.

Diarrhea every morning

If you notice that you experience diarrhea every morning—particularly if it occurs at the same time or after eating a specific food the night before—start a diary to log your symptoms. Note your recent foods, stress levels, and other factors that may help uncover an underlying cause.

Morning diarrhea and nausea

Diarrhea associated with nausea, particularly if you experience subsequent vomiting, may suggest the possibility of gastroenteritis or other causes of infection or inflammation.

Morning diarrhea and abdominal pain

Abdominal pain sometimes suggests a more serious cause of diarrhea. You may have IBS if the pain usually resolves with having a bowel movement.

Constipation at night followed by morning diarrhea the following day

Constipation can sometimes lead to diarrhea. This pattern will likely improve if you can relieve the underlying constipation and remove that backed-up stool. You may notice hard and pellet-like stools mixed in with loose stools.

Morning diarrhea while pregnant

During pregnancy, you may experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting, typically in the first trimester. Diarrhea, although less common, can occur throughout pregnancy, although it is important to reach out to your obstetrician if you experience persistent diarrhea.

Read our guides on different types of diarrhea and common causes of diarrhea for more.

How to get relief from morning diarrhea at home

Here are some treatment options you can try at home that may relieve your morning diarrhea.

Fiber

Fiber is an important component that helps form your stools. Although fiber supplements exist, it is usually better to get fiber through a well-balanced and varied diet. Fiber-rich foods are a simple and effective way to treat your morning diarrhea at home.

Pepto Bismol

Pepto Bismol is a safe and effective over-the-counter medication that can help with your morning diarrhea.

A common side effect of Pepto Bismol use is having black stools, which is alarming for some people. If you continue having black stools after stopping Pepto Bismol, call your doctor for advice.

Imodium

Imodium is another safe and effective over-the-counter medication used to help treat diarrhea. Imodium slows your gastrointestinal tract and helps your stools form.

Read our guide on treating diarrhea at home for more.

When to see a doctor about morning diarrhea

Maybe you’ve been dealing with your symptoms for a long time, or there was limited relief from some of the treatment options discussed above. You might need to see your primary care provider or go to the emergency room in some cases.

You should see a doctor if:

• You notice weight loss along with morning diarrhea
• You have significant changes in appetite
• You experience significant abdominal pain
• You notice a specific pattern with your symptoms without resolution despite attempted treatment
• You have a close family member with a history of colon cancer

You should go to the emergency room if:

• You are unable to eat or drink anything
• You notice bright red blood in your stools or black, tarry stools
• You are unable to control your bowel
• You experience chest pain or shortness of breath
• You notice sudden swelling of your lips, mouth, or throat

Questions to ask your doctor about morning diarrhea

• What tests do I need to undergo to find out the cause of my morning diarrhea?
• Are there certain foods I should stop eating?
• Do you recommend any over-the-counter medications to treat morning diarrhea?
• What other treatment options or medications may help address my symptoms?

How a doctor can help treat morning diarrhea

Your doctor may prescribe you medications to help you with morning diarrhea. Other times, they may recommend changes in your diet or special tests to uncover the cause.

Low-FODMAP diet

A low-FODMAP diet includes foods with low fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides, along with polyols. This diet means avoidance of gas-producing foods, particularly foods that contain fructose. You may need to obtain a referral to a dietitian to better understand what foods fit in a low-FODMAP diet.

Food allergy testing

Your symptoms may be due to a specific food allergy. Additional testing may identify your specific trigger.

Physical activity, minimizing stress, hydration

Lifestyle factors such as proper hydration, physical activity, and stress minimization can help treat your symptoms. A doctor may help uncover underlying patterns of your symptoms.

Frequently asked questions: morning diarrhea

This section will cover some frequently asked questions regarding morning diarrhea.

Is morning diarrhea a sign of cancer?

Not usually. If you are also experiencing unexplained or unintentional weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, or bloody stools, you should speak with your primary care provider to rule out potentially serious causes.

What if you’ve been experiencing morning diarrhea for months?

It may help your primary care provider if you have a log regarding your symptoms. Note how long your symptoms have been occurring and any factors that make symptoms better or worse.

What if you have morning diarrhea but feel fine otherwise?

If you feel okay, you may not need to do anything about your symptoms. If they worsen or negatively affect your quality of life, please speak with your primary care provider.

Start your day right

Morning diarrhea doesn’t usually signal a serious problem, but it can drastically affect your daily routine. If you notice persistent symptoms, speak with your primary care provider for further advice.

General Medicine follows a strict editorial process, including using real experts to write our articles, vetted primary sources, fact-checking, a secondary medical review, and updates as necessary. This article was medically reviewed and fact checked by Dr. Lane Thaut, DO.

Sources

Robyn. “Bristol Stool Chart.” Continence Foundation of Australia, 9 Feb. 2024, www.continence.org.au/bristol-stool-chart.

MedlinePlus. “Diarrhea.” National Library of Medicine, 20 Jul. 2016, https://medlineplus.gov/diarrhea.html.

Akbar A, Shreenath AP. High Fiber Diet. [Updated 2023 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559033/