Have you ever felt like your stomach knew you were stressed before the rest of you did?
Bloating. Cramping. Having to use the restroom more often than normal.
You may have blamed it on your food but what about all that stress you’ve been accumulating over the past 2 years?
Your gut and brain communicate 24 hours a day. So when you have too much stress in your life your body is going to pay for it somewhere.
The silver lining to all of this is once you know what is going on you can fix it.
Below you will discover:
How Your Body Reacts To Stress
When your brain registers that you are under stress your body releases cortisol and adrenaline. Your body shuts off non essential functions and focuses on more urgent ones. Digestion takes a back seat.
Your blood flow decreases to your stomach and intestines. The muscles that contract your stomach and intestines decrease or increase. Stomach acid is affected as well.
After one day you may feel uncomfortable but not anything too serious. However after two years of constant stress you begin to see problems arise in your digestive system.
Studies show that 40% of Americans have experienced digestive discomfort due to stress. Around 75% report physical symptoms such as feeling tired, having headaches and stomach problems, all attributed to stress.
Due to the amount of stress people experience they create night time routines that help them relax and unwind. Stretching or reading may help but some may choose to dab with terp pearls in their banger. These will help disperse heat and keep your concentrate moving instead of overheating. You can purchase terp pearls on sites such as mjarsenal.com. They come in many different colors like quartz, ruby and sapphire. Terp pearls are not going to fix your stomach, but what you relax with will play a big factor in how your stomach reacts the next day.
What Is Gut Motility?
Gut motility is when food moves through your digestive system. From your stomach to your intestines and out of your body. This process is known as peristalsis. It will occur in patterns throughout your body.
Your enteric nervous system controls your gut movement. The enteric nervous system consists of many neurons that are found within your gut. Your brain and enteric nervous system communicate through the vagus nerve.
If they are communicating correctly you won’t even notice that food is moving through your body.
But when stress disrupts the communication between your brain and gut that is when you begin to feel discomfort.
Chronic Stress Will Alter Your Gut Movement
Your gut movement will be affected in two ways when your body is stressed out.
Decreased Gastric Emptying
When you experience chronic stress your stomach will empty at a slower rate. Which leads to food staying in your stomach longer than normal.
You may feel
By slowing down your gastric emptying you will have a higher chance of experiencing acid reflux as well.
Increased Colon Movement
As mentioned above your stomach will be slowed down but your colon will be sped up.
Food will move through your colon at a higher rate than normal. Your stool will become looser and you may feel the need to use the restroom frequently. You know that feeling before a test or big presentation? Well that will be constant with stress and anxiety.
Some people will have diarrhea, some will be constipated. Both can be caused by stress. Your stomach is just out of rhythm.
Leaky Gut And Bad Bacteria
Not only will your gut movement be affected but your intestinal permeability can be affected as well. When your gut becomes leaky harmful bacteria can pass through the gut lining and enter your body. Causing more inflammation and discomfort while your stomach is trying to digest your food.
Stress has been shown to increase intestinal permeability by up to 30%. Your body houses trillions of bacteria, some are beneficial and some are harmful. When you experience stress your body loses beneficial bacteria that can help your gut stay healthy.
Experiencing Discomfort
Another reason you may feel discomfort in your stomach when stressed is from visceral hypersensitivity. This occurs when the nervous system in your gut amplifies signals sent to your brain. Your body may be producing less gas than usual but you feel more discomfort than normal.
People who experience IBS have a high sensitivity to pain and discomfort in their stomach. About 10-15% of the worlds population suffer from IBS.
Relieving Your Stomach
While you cannot avoid stress in your life there are steps you can take to help relieve your stomach discomfort.
As stated earlier what you do to relax at night can also affect your stomach. Find what works for you and stick with it!
Final Thoughts
Having too much stress in your life can lead to digestive problems. By knowing the facts on what your body is experiencing you can better control your digestive health.
Remember your stomach will slow down and speed up your colon when your stressed.
By increasing leaky gut you are allowing bad bacteria to pass through and harm your body.
Stress will reduce good bacteria in your stomach as well.
Find ways to reduce your stress and your stomach will follow! If you are experiencing these symptoms see a doctor to rule out any other issues.