Stressful situations can negatively affect the digestive system because the gut and brain are intricately connected. The vagus nerve links the brain and gut. Operating like a super-fast fibre optic connection, it sends information to the brain in under 100 milliseconds.
This relationship and communication between the brain and our gut is called the brain-gut axis. You smell chocolate: your mouth fills with saliva. You get a fright: your stomach churns. Anxiety and stress have a direct impact on the digestive system, often linked to gut health and cognitive function. Here are four tell-tale signs your stomach may be affected by stress:
- Hiccups. Because hiccups are funny, we don’t often consider them a sign of stress or distress. Our diaphragm is the muscle that starts off a fit of hiccupping. It’s a large flat muscle that lies under the lungs and helps us breathe. When it pulls down, it opens the lungs, drawing breath in through our mouth and nose. A hiccup occurs when the brain sends a signal to the diaphragm to pull down forcefully. The sudden draw of air into the throat causes a change in pressure. The narrow part of the throat snaps shut and makes a ‘hic’ noise. Hiccups often happen if the stomach is too full of air, alcohol or food. Spicy food and sudden changes in temperature can trigger them. Stressful events like public speaking can also start you off.
- Nausea and queasiness. When stressed the body tenses. This is a natural reaction to a threat. The hormone adrenalin floods the body shouting out orders. ‘Muscles in the legs fire up!’ ‘Stomach and gut – shut down! When something scary happens, we want our leg muscles ready to run away. We don’t need valuable energy going to our digestive system. This is an appropriate response to a burglar or a burning building. It may however, be an overreaction to a telephone call. Our poor tummies can get squeezed by our tense muscles. Stress can stop blood flow to the stomach and can speed up breathing, which can cause dizziness. It can even contribute to nausea and vomiting.
- Belching. Belching happens when the body needs to release excess air in the stomach that has built up. It’s normal to gulp air and swallow more often when stressed.
- Stomach ache and pain. Stress-induced trapped wind and tense muscles can cause bellyache, as all those tense muscles squeeze the tummy. This is going to hurt if you have been gulping air and you are full of wind.
So, how best to ease an anxious tum? There are certain techniques and methods you can use to lessen the impact of stress and anxiety on the digestive system.
If you’re prone to hiccupping fits when you’re tense or nervous, try to relax. Breathe slowly and avoid gulps of air, and try not to consume too much food or too many fizzy drinks. A.Vogel’s Stress Relief Daytime is useful when the nervous system needs calming quickly.
Chew your food thoroughly – don’t rush. Eating on the run and gobbling food down too quickly can trap air as you swallow. Relax and enjoy your food. Sit up straight and don’t bunch up your poor tummy: make room for what you’re about to send it.
Look after your blood sugar levels. Missed meals and an overreliance on sugary treats will pay havoc with your moods. Anxiety can make your gut hypersensitive to change, and this can make your empty tummy feel sicker than it is.
If nausea is worse after a heavy meal or fatty food you may be not breaking down your fats properly. Bitter tasting foods like artichoke, radicchio and rocket lettuce can help. They promote digestive secretions like bile. The liver makes bile to break down fats and help get the bowel moving. A.Vogel’s Digestisan is made from bitter herbs, dandelion and artichoke and can be taken before each meal to aid digestion and help with indigestion, bloating and wind.
Have a lie down to release the burps. The oesophagus joins the stomach a little to the left of our middle. The stomach lies on our left side and there is a gentle curve where it meets the gullet. If you lie on your left side – the air can escape more easily.
Relax and breathe slowly. Deep breathing calms the emotions and relaxes tense muscles.
Try to drink more water, as dehydration will worsen stress, and sip water if you’re feeling ill.
For the symptoms of IBS and acid reflux, try Silicol gel. It lines the digestive system and has the ability to bind to a variety of harmful and toxic substances, including pathogens, and can help reduce the symptoms of IBS and heartburn. Drink plenty of water when you take this and do tell your GP if symptoms haven’t cleared up after a few days.
For further advice on any aspect of digestive health, contact Alan and Tracey Malcolm of Tullivers Health Store, 1-2 Colliergate, York, or visit www.tullivers.co.uk.
