Free Thesos tool · Piece: Influences
What Might Be Affecting Your IBS?
Rank the suspects behind your flare-ups—food, stress, sleep, timing and more.
Your answers are not saved to your Thesos account unless you choose to save them. Educational, not a diagnosis.
About this tool, FAQ and sources
IBS flare-ups rarely come down to one thing. Food, stress, sleep, caffeine, alcohol, medicines, hormones and routine can all play a part, often together. This explorer helps you sort which factors look worth investigating first.
How it works
You rate how often your symptoms seem to follow 13 common factors, then tell us what you already suspect. Each factor is placed in one of four groups based on your own answers: strong self-reported signal, possible signal, unclear, or low current signal. A factor you already suspect is moved up to 'possible' at most, never to 'strong', because suspicion alone isn't evidence.
It can
- Help you decide what to pay attention to first
- Show how several factors may overlap
- Give you a starting list for tracking or a conversation with a clinician
It cannot
- Diagnose IBS or any other condition
- Confirm that any factor causes your symptoms
- Replace a structured, clinician-guided elimination approach
Questions
- What is the most common IBS trigger?
- There isn't a single one. Public health sources list certain foods, stress, infections and changes in routine among common factors, but what matters differs from person to person and often several factors interact.
- Why does the same food bother me only sometimes?
- Portion size, what else you ate, stress, sleep, hormones and timing can all change how your gut reacts. That's why looking at patterns over time tends to be more informative than one meal.
- Does a 'strong signal' mean I should cut that food out?
- No. It means it may be worth tracking. Cutting out foods without guidance can make your diet unnecessarily restrictive. Talk to a doctor or dietitian before making big changes.
Method and sources
Original Thesos rule set (v1.0). The list of factors reflects those commonly described in public health sources (NIDDK, NHS, NICE). The grouping is a simple, transparent mapping of your own frequency ratings; it is not a validated clinical instrument.
- Symptoms & Causes of IBS · NIDDK
- Eating, Diet & Nutrition for IBS · NIDDK
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) · NHS (UK)
- Irritable bowel syndrome in adults (CG61) · NICE (UK)
For education and self-management only. Not a diagnosis. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.