Your gut is giving you trouble. Maybe you notice that your belly feels unsettled, that your bowel movements are disrupted, or that symptoms keep coming back without you knowing exactly why. Stress can play a big part in this.
What stress does in your body
Stress is, by nature, a survival mechanism. The moment your brain experiences a situation as dangerous, for example when you come face to face with a wild animal, energy is released so you can fight or flee. That energy goes to your arms and legs, so you can get moving.
But there is a downside to this. Other processes, such as your digestion, are temporarily put on the back burner at that moment. That is not a problem as long as the situation is short-lived.
When stress becomes a problem
The problem starts when stress persists. When your body constantly has the feeling that something is wrong. And these days, that no longer has to be physical danger.
Stress can also come from the cost of fuel and groceries, from irregular shifts, from not getting enough likes on social media, or simply from your own negative thoughts.
On top of that, stress can also arise when your body is missing important nutrients. If your body cannot function properly, it experiences that as a threat. In that case, too, the stress system is switched on, so that you get moving to solve the problem.
What stress does to your gut
But when this situation goes on for weeks or months, or is never resolved at all, your stress system stays active. Your body stays on high alert, so your digestion no longer gets the room it needs to work properly. Among other things, that affects your stomach acid production.
And you notice it.
Your gut gets thrown off balance, and symptoms can develop or persist. Think of diarrhoea, a bloated feeling, gas and even inflammation in the gut. Symptoms that keep coming back, without you knowing exactly where they come from. Sometimes this eventually leads to a diagnosis of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), or the symptoms get worse and you are diagnosed with Crohn's or colitis.
What this means for your gut issues
So stress is not just something you experience in your head. It directly affects how your body functions, and with that, your gut too. It is one of the key factors to take into account when you want to understand the cause of your gut issues and recover.