The body’s natural fight or flight response to stress is designed to protect vital functions from attack until the threat subsides. It does this by pumping hormones into the bloodstream, primarily cortisol. Increased cortisol helps increase your alertness and shift energy to essential bodily functions, temporarily. One of the functions that is depleted of energy during stressful periods is the digestive system. The body slows down the energy required to process and digest food in the digestive tract until the period of stress is over.
You may have experienced unpleasant reactions, such as stomach aches and diarrhea, in your gut in response to immediate stress. If you remain in a state of elevated stress for an extended period, elevated cortisol levels and stress response systems can cause significant damage to your body. Stress can also make existing digestive problems worse, leading to more abdominal pain, nausea, and heartburn. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in five Americans has a common and very uncomfortable digestive disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes pain, bloating, and sometimes diarrhea and constipation.
Many of these digestive problems seem to react or become more pronounced in response to stressful events. Ongoing discomfort can affect your mood and can affect your health. In addition to IBS, you may experience indigestion as another stress-affected disorder. Feeling bloated and wanting to vomit for no apparent reason can be a symptom of a stress response. When the stress goes away, these symptoms go away. You may also experience heartburn, as the stomach can cause the stomach to produce more acid. If your diet contributes to heartburn problems, stress can only make it worse.
When your digestive processes are disrupted, it can create an unbalanced bacterial population, starting in your stomach. This can lead to a growth of bacteria that lead to ulcers and can worsen ailments where there is inflammation or infections, such as Crohn’s disease. Sustained stress can result in a variety of undesirable physical and functional disorders. While all of this is going on, your body’s immune system is compromised for two reasons. Elevated cortisol levels help suppress your immune system as part of the stress response. A malfunctioning digestive system will not be able to extract nutrients from food, further degrading your body’s ability to stay strong and cope with stress.
It is not possible to avoid all stress-producing events. Life goes by around us and we feel like we’re on a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs with each new twist. However, we can take some important steps to keep our bodies functioning optimally by reducing stress levels and improving our ability to recover from these events. The first thing to think about is a wait time to walk. Whenever possible, at the first sign of stress, try taking a walk of no less than ten minutes. Exercise helps you rebalance your hormones and keep you in balance. Walking near trees and lawns will further stimulate positive reactions in your brain, helping you relax.
Next, make sure your diet is packed with a wide range of nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits, and proteins. Eliminate processed sugars and starches from your diet as much as possible. Excess sugar helps promote inflammation and digestive problems. Finally, add a good multi-species probiotic to your diet, including plain unsweetened yogurt or kefir to help increase the population of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. Exercise and nutrition will go a long way to managing stress and keeping your system working during the upcoming events that lie ahead.
