Yes, Stress Can Affect Your Gut Health – Here’s EYNTK

Have you ever felt your stomach drop? Felt your insides twist after getting bad news? Felt sick or need to use the bathroom when feeling anxious?

You’re not the only one. In fact, so many of us are feeling the stresses of life these days – and so many of our guts are struggling alongside our heads.

Poor gut health is generally associated with problems around digestion and what you’re putting into your body, but the gut’s connection to stress and panic really shouldn’t be overlooked.

Lucy Jones, Registered Nutritionist for Yakult, tells STELLAR that gut issues aren’t only related to digestive issues. Rather, stress and anxiety can play a serious role in our gut health – a fact that often goes unconsidered.

“For example, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be described as a disorder of the brain-gut axis,” she says. “The brain-gut axis is the two-way pathway that allows the brain and gut to talk to each other. This means the gut can influence brain health, and the brain can also affect gut function.

“This is why stress and anxiety can sometimes show up as digestive symptoms or as the familiar “butterflies” sensation in your stomach.

“During periods of high stress, the body enters its ‘fight or flight’ response, which can divert blood flow away from the digestive system and potentially trigger symptoms, such as constipation or diarrhoea – it really varies from person to person.”

Lucy says that digestive symptoms like bloating, excessive wind, cramps, and changes in bowel movements are often the most obvious sign that your gut needs a little bit of extra TLC.

But gut issues can also be the culprit of lesser known symptoms like fatigue, low energy, and a ‘heaviness’ in the gut.

“It’s important not to panic over the occasional digestive symptom,” she says. “For example, many people experience bloating after a particularly large or heavy meal.

“It’s the consistent pattern or frequent recurrence of symptoms that’s important to pay attention to, as this may indicate an underlying issue within the gut.”

So, how can we better look after our guts? Of course there’s obvious changes like eating more fibre, and adding more fruits and vegetables into our diets, but there’s also plenty of other ways we can focus on our gut heath.

The first is sleep. Yes, sleep. Prioritising a good night’s sleep can actually improve your gut health and encourage the production of good bacteria.

“Just a few nights of poor sleep can disrupt cortisol rhythms and reduce beneficial gut bacteria which could lead to an imbalance while consistent 7-9 hour nights can improve mood, energy and digestion in a matter of day,” says Lucy. 

Exercise can help too – whether you’re pushing yourself in a spin or HIIT class, or simply having a stroll in nature for 20 minutes, whatever your preferred movement will lower your cortisol levels and trigger what Lucy calls “the parasympathetic rest and digest system.” 

This system is the opposite of the body’s ‘fight or flight’ reaction, allowing the nervous system to conserve energy, increase good intestinal activity, and relax the muscles in the gastrointestinal tract.

Spending time with those you care about most (and who care about you!) can also have a profound impact on your gut.

“Laughter, meaningful conversations and physical touch can all help release feel-good hormones that counteract stress,” says Lucy. 

“Something as simple as a long hug, held for 20–30 seconds, can trigger the release of oxytocin – often referred to as the ‘bonding hormone’ – which has been shown to help lower stress and blood pressure.”

So the next time you’re feeling the stresses of life deep inside your gut, take a moment, check your lifestyle habits, and pencil in a nice, long hug.

Your body might just thank you.