How To Decrease Stress Related Gut Problems

Has chronic stress been giving you gut problems? Most of the time, we dismiss how stress affects our lives until we develop chronic symptoms such as gut issues. Stomach pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, frequent bowel movements, constipation, even night sweats and unexplained weight loss (or gain) are just some of the signs of poor digestive health that people with chronic stress live with. We may start to believe these conditions are “normal for us”, but just because its something you’ve grown accustmed to, doesn’t mean it’s normal. If you have been dealing with stress and digestive issues and have been unsuccessful in finding relief for both, then this blog will give you insight on how to find relief. 

Stress and Digestive Issues

A 2013 study revealed that 74% of all participants had experienced digestive discomfort for six months or more, yet only 37% sought help from their doctor. Additionally, 56% of those who experienced gut problems didn’t seek medical help because they didn’t believe their symptoms required medical attention. So what does chronic stress and anxiety have to do with these statistics? Well believe it or not, the gut is closely connected to your central nervous system (aka your gut-brain connection) so if one is off balance, then its easy for the other to become off balanced as well.

Regardless if your stressor if perceived as exciting or terrifying, your body will react the same by activating your autonomic nervous system (ANS) which controls your internal organs, glands and unconscious body processes (i.e. heart rate, respiration and metabolic processes).

Your ANS is divided into two parts, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Your SNS is synonomous with your “flight or fight” response and your PNS is correalated with your “rest and digest” response. It’s impossible for both systems to work at the same time. So when you are under chronic stress or anxiety, your SNS pumps blood to your arms and legs just in case you need to fight or flight. At the same time, it restricts blood flow in the areas that aren’t necessarily needed such as your digestive system.

Constant exposure to stress results in alterations of the brain-gut interactions (“brain-gut axis”) ultimately leading to the development of a broad array of gastrointestinal disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gastrointestinal diseases, food antigen-related adverse responses, peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The major effects of stress on gut health include:

1.  Alterations in gastrointestinal motility (the process of moving food through the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and out of the body). 
2. Increase in visceral perception (i.e. the ways people feel sensations in their body such as a stomach ache, a racing heart, or the feelings of needing to urinate) 
3. Changes in gastrointestinal secretions  including: stomach acids (hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen), intrinsic factor (a protein made by cells in the stomach lining that helps your intestines absorb vitamin B12.), and bicarbonate (the main mechanism of mucosal protection),
4.  Increase in intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
5.  Inability to  produce gastrointestinal mucosa and mucosal blood flow; and
6.  Gut bacteria imbalance. (Konturek, Brzozowski, & Konturek 2011).  

Step 4 – Reduce Stress at Mealtimes

In “fight or flight” mode the body redirects water from your digestive system to serve the immediate survival need, so high stress over time causes constipation and a host of digestive symptoms. Keeping stress low is particularly important during mealtimes as the body needs to be in a state of calm for digestion to occur at all.

Slow down and make a conscious effort to sit down at a table to eat your meal. Turn off any screens, take slow, deep breaths and pay attention to the pleasure of good food, and if you’re lucky, good company. This will help put your body into “rest and digest” mode and enable the body to do what it needs to do next in the digestive cascade.

Step 5– Make Sure to Move

Digestive health pioneer Dr. Bernard Jensen famously said “After your meal, sit a while, then walk a mile.” Research has shown us that exercise can indeed improve the rate at which you digest food. Gravity and movement stimulate peristalsis by helping to trigger various “fullness” receptors in your colon, which triggers healthy peristalsis to push your digested food through the digestive tract at a regular pace. Exercise is also a great stress reducer, which may explain how hearty your appetite for a healthy meal can be post–workout.

Supplements to Ease Gut Issues

Digestive Enzymes

For many of us these days, eating well, chewing well and relaxing are not quite enough to bring balance back. If meals still have you feeling overly full, your enzymes may need some support. Your healthcare practitioner can help you to find the right enzyme supplement for your symptoms. Alternatively, digestive enzymes can be found in papaya and pineapple and their mild support may be enough.

Probiotics

The good bacteria in your digestive tract supports gut health by breaking down specific carbohydrates, soothing the gut wall and producing hormones such as serotonin, the “feel–good hormone”. Maintaining that microbiome is essential for avoiding stomach problems like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea – and for mental health.

A good quality probiotic supplement can help replenish and balance your gut bacteria, and research suggests they can help support a healthy gut and digestion even with existing digestive problems. Make sure to get a recommendation from your healthcare practitioner as not all probiotic supplements are created equal.

Lab Testing Can Uncover Gut Problems

We are Here to Help

Don’t let chronic stress, anxiety or poor digestion cramp your style! If you’re tired of experiencing digestive distress and ready to reset your body then my 21 Day Total Body Reset is a simple, easy to follow holistic, nutritional cleanse that can help you reset your mind, body and spirit so you can find relief in 21 days.  

If you know that your digestive issues are stress related, then you should definitely focus on managing your stress first. My Stress Alchemy course can help you resolve stress in any area of your life while healing your digestive problems in the process. If you feel that you may need lab testing to get to the root cause of your gut issues, then our Maximize Your Living Potential course has that service included. Our nutritionist services also offer lab testing at your own expense as well. Not sure which option is best? Just contact me and we can chat about your health concerns and together we can find the best solution for you. I hope this helps!

In Good Health,
Amber Stew BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist,
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist