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You can eat large amounts of vegetables and exercise regularly, but may not see the desired results if you are constantly anxious or stressed.

Stress has a direct impact on your digestion, and if there are problems with digestion, your whole body is out of balance.

Why is it important to maintain good digestion?

If your digestion is regular and you don’t have any issues, most likely the bacterial community in your stomach, i.e. the microbiome, is also balanced.

There are almost as many bacteria living in your body as there are cells in your body. The largest number of them live in your digestive tract, specifically at the end of the large intestine.

These bacteria are closely related to your health and we now know of many ways the gut bacteria impact the functioning of your entire body.

If your digestion is not regular and the gut microbiome is out of balance, it will:

• weaken the immune system;
• prevent the absorption of nutrients;
• not support the regulation of blood sugar;
• cause you to feel a lack of energy.

How does stress affect digestion?

Remember that feeling of “butterflies” in your stomach when you fell in love? Or felt a “knot” in your stomach before a stressful event (like before giving a performance)?

This all happened because your brain and intestines are strongly interconnected.

Your gut is sensitive to emotions (e.g. anger, anxiety, sadness, excitement, etc.). Emotions have a particularly strong effect on digestion, especially when you experience long-term stress.

So what exactly happens?

The brain goes into the fight, flight or freeze mode when you are stressed, preparing your body to cope with the situation. This means that all systems not needed for survival are paused, including digestion.

As the digestive process (including elimination of waste) is on pause and stool is not passed properly, this in turn can cause painful flatulence, bloating, nausea, etc.

In more serious cases, severe stress can slow down the flow of blood and oxygen to the abdominal area, which can unbalance your gut microbiome and cause inflammation.

This process also works the other way around.

Low stress levels lower inflammation in the gut and support the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, since in a relaxed state, the body can focus on digesting food and absorbing nutrients.

Does the health status of the gut also affect the stress level?

Over the past few years, there has been a great deal of research that confirms the interaction between the brain and gut, and they clearly show that both short- and long-term stress affect the balance of your gut bacteria.

Stress creates a situation where bacteria that do not support your health dominate. This, in turn, can lead to anxiety and depression.

How exactly? 

Scientists have found that 90% of the happiness hormone serotonin is synthesised in the intestines (not in the brain, as you might expect).

Thus, when the composition of the gut bacteria is unbalanced, the happiness hormone is not synthesised sufficiently to support stable mental health.

Perhaps taking care of your gut health really supports your mental health!

Simple tricks to reduce stomach problems caused by stress

☝️ TIP #1

Before eating, take three calm and deep breaths and try to focus only on the food – taste, texture, and smell – throughout the meal. 

If necessary, also take deeper breaths during the meal. This will send calming signals to the body, allowing it to focus on digestion.

✌️ TIP #2

In order for the body to produce more happiness hormones and remove waste more easily, add more plants to your diet.

Why?

Because only plants contain fibre, which is what your good stomach bacteria feed on. If they are full and happy, they can also take care of your well-being.

Eat the following in abundance:

• whole grains (oats, barley, rye);
• legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils);
• vegetables (the most fibre-rich are, for example, avocado, cabbages, carrots, onions);
• fruits (e.g., apples containing the most fibre);
• berries;
• nuts;
• seeds;
• herbs (e.g., parsley, dill).

Changing your eating habits seems difficult?

👉 Click on this link and read about the easiest way to start making better dietary choices.