The effects of stress on digestion

It is important to be aware of the close relationship between stress/emotions, and digestive function, especially if you are one of the thousands of people who suffer with gut-related symptoms or IBS. The most common underlying cause of digestive problems in adults is stress.

A person’s total stress load is a combination of external stresses of all kinds (work/family pressures, distressing events, environmental pollution, food and dietary stressors etc.), and internal stress (i.e. dealing with our own personal emotions and issues such as general unhappiness, loneliness and grief). To improve the health of the digestive system, a person not only needs to consider the diet, and general dietary habits, but to also be aware of his or her stress level, confronting and communicating any negative emotion or feeling as effectively as possible, and in doing so, reducing the total stress load on (and in) the gut.

With regards to internal stress, it is wise not to suppress emotions, feelings or problems. Our emotions are held in the “emotional centre” of the body, or solar plexus, which happens to be exactly where our digestive system is! Furthermore, we produce the same neurotransmitters in the gut, as we do in the brain. In fact the gut has its very own nervous system that communicates directly with the brain. So what we are thinking is actually felt physically, in the stomach. The popular saying, “butterflies in the stomach” describes this perfectly. We perceive and “think” something or someone as nerve-wracking, or scary, but we actually “feel it” in the stomach! Of course we don’t feel nervous all the time, but many people today do have a low-grade “nervousness” or anxiety almost on a persistent basis, which is very real, and produces very real symptoms too… most often in the gut.

Stress affects the functioning of the pancreas too, the gland that is responsible for producing insulin to control blood sugar levels, and pancreatic enzymes for efficient digestion. Our capacity to respond to blood sugar levels decreases when the gut is stressed, as well as our capacity to digest food. Too much adrenalin causes ongoing digestive problems, as well as low energy.

So what can we do about it?

* Firstly, you might like to listen to this great audio postcard “Daily steps to healthy happy digestion”, which details over 20 easy strategies you can use to relieve any gut distress.

* Regards your diet, make sure you are eating quality, fresh food, and quality protein in the diet too. The neurotransmitters that affect our mood, motivation and concentration, are made from the proteins we eat. These “mood chemicals” are called peptides – i.e. small chains of proteins and amino acids. So we need enough protein from sources such as fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds, beans and raw leafy greens to manufacture these in sufficient amounts.

* Try not to eat if you are feeling particularly stressed or nervous. During stress, the release of adrenalin and cortisol causes an increase in heart rate and blood flow, away from the digestive system, to the muscles. Gut function automatically slows down and the movement of food through the system slows down too.

* Speak up and speak out! The body has to show emotion and stress somehow, and if it’s not communicated “out” of the body, the gut, and digestive function will suffer. Digestive problems soon manifest when constant stress is present.

* Deep belly breathing (with lying down or when comfortably seated) and regular oil massage on the abdomen (working in a clockwise way) is very effective at reducing stress that is impacting on digestive function. Try and do this regularly.

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