Deadlines, presentations, traffic, work home balance.. its difficult to talk about life with out stress. We are all facing some or the other kind of stress daiy in our lives. Both chronic and acute stressors can affect the way our body functions.
Our Gut ( digestive system) is the biggest system in the body. It begins from the mouth and ends at the anus, and has come to be understood as an organ that plays an extremely important role in the body. It has been termed as the second brain and impacts not just physiological health, but also psychological health
Stress has an almost immediate effect on our gut and digestive system. The expression of ‘butterflies in the stomach’ just before a presentation or declaration of results supports this connection. The Gut and the brain are connected to each through the Vagus nerve, which forms the part of Enteric Nervous System and thus are constantly communication with each other. What happens in our mind directly affects our gut and vice versa.
Both chronic and acute stressors can shift the gut bacteria in multiple regions and habitats — both the inside (lumen) and border (mucosal lining) of the gut. Studies show that a major stressful event long-since passed could still be affecting your gut even now.
There are various ways how stress affects the gut
1. Stress causes Inflammation of the Gut. ongoing stress leads to mucosal lining inflammation, thereby allowing gastric juices to irritate the sensitive stomach lining underneath. This can cause acid reflux and may even lead to peptic ulcers in the long run. Inflammation is also the leading cause of Leaky Gut Syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is further the root cause of many conditions like Irrtitable Bowel Syndrome, allergies, autoimmune disorders and more
2. Stress keeps the body in the ‘fight and flight’ mode. Digestion, absorption, assimilation of food is only possible in the state of ‘ rest and digest’. Stress caused impaired digestion and absorption of nutrients, causing nutritional deficiencies
- Stress leads to behavioral changes and causes cravings. These cravings mostly are of sugar, refined food, fried foods or alcohol. Indulging in such ultra processed foods, further put the ratio of good to bad bacteria in the stomach out of balance. This causes dysbiosis. Dysbiosis negatively affects, immune system, neurological system and contributes towards obesity.
- Stress affects the gut motility and fluid secretion. It can both delay emptying stomach contents and speed up the passage oof material through the intestine, resulting in either constipation or watery stools.
How to manage stress at meal times?
- Don’t eat on the go. Sit down and eat. This helps the body to enter the rest and digest state of mind.
- Take a couple of deep breaths when you sit down to eat. This calms the mind and is known to pause stress.
- Eat mindfully. While eating, keep away from gadget, newspapers, files or any deadline oriented discussions. Try to eat with all your 5 senses- sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. This will help you focus on the food.
- Chew slowly. Remember digestion begins in the mouth. So chewing your food will assist the gut in good digestion.
Media Feature: This article was published in BW Wellbeing World
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