How Does Stress Impact Your Digestion?
Stress can wreak all kinds of havoc on our bodies, and some of the most unpleasant ways are through our digestion. Stress can give us lovely symptoms like:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Heartburn
- Feeling of food just sitting in stomach
But why does this happen?
Stress exists to give us our fight or flight response. When you’re getting ready to fight off a wild animal, your body slows its metabolism, taking energy away from digestion and moving it to your muscles, leaving whatever was in your stomach to sit there until it’s safe to digest again.
This makes sense when you need to fight a bear, but it doesn’t do you much good when you’re stressed about a deadline at work. When your hormones don’t shift back to a relaxed state after a while, things like reduced stomach acid lead to all those gross feelings listed above.
How Can We Fix This?
To get out of the fight or flight mode, we need the brain to become more adaptable. If the brain is better connected to the body, it will be better at controlling your hormonal responses so they match up with your bear-less reality. If you can do this, your body will be better at handling all kinds of stress.
We have a wide range of treatments that help your brain-body connection. If you have any questions, please contact our office.
Here’s To A Better Life,
Dr. Steve Puckette
