Symptoms Of An Unhealthy Gut
Poor gut health can affect you physically, emotionally, and mentally. Anxiety is certainly one of the big symptoms that your gut is off, but there are numerous others.
In fact, even before you notice your rising anxiety levels, you might start feeling some of the physical symptoms of a gut imbalance:
- Bloating
Along with anxiety, there are other mental/emotional symptoms that you may be feeling:
- Confusion
- Depression
- ADD/ADHD
If youre experiencing a combination of these symptoms, now would be a great time to take proactive steps to heal your gut and regain your gut microbiome balance.
How To Control Your Anxiety Upset Stomach
Stomach upset can really put a damper on your ability to live a happy life. Ideally, you’ll need to treat your anxiety to experience a calmer stomach.
Even though anxiety is causing your stomach to feel sick, many of the symptoms can be reduced with various medications. You should always consult with a doctor before taking medication and do not want to rely on medication to cure your upset stomach. However, many people have had success with basic medications that calm the stomach. Common examples include:
- Tums
- Pepto-Bismol
- Rolaids
Eating healthier can also help. Remember that your anxiety is affecting your gut, but it’s not causing the symptoms all on its own. What’s in your stomach has an effect on the severity of the symptoms as well. Eating healthier – especially on days you expect to experience anxiety – can be very helpful. Drinking water may also be useful since water is gentle on the stomach.
You may also try distracting yourself. While your upset stomach may be severe, anxiety causes a tendency to focus on the experience, which causes further anxiety and exacerbates the severity of the stomach pain. A positive distraction, like a funny TV show, can actually make a big difference in the way you experience your upset stomach.
Was this article helpful?
Gut Health And Anxiety
Given how closely the gut and brain interact, it becomes easier to understand why you might feel nauseated before giving a presentation, or feel intestinal pain during times of stress. That doesn’t mean, however, that functional gastrointestinal conditions are imagined or “all in your head.” Psychology combines with physical factors to cause pain and other bowel symptoms. Psychosocial factors influence the actual physiology of the gut, as well as symptoms. In other words, stress can affect movement and contractions of the GI tract.
In addition, many people with functional GI disorders perceive pain more acutely than other people do because their brains are more responsive to pain signals from the GI tract. Stress can make the existing pain seem even worse.
Based on these observations, you might expect that at least some patients with functional GI conditions might improve with therapy to reduce stress or treat anxiety or depression. Multiple studies have found that psychologically based approaches lead to greater improvement in digestive symptoms compared with only conventional medical treatment.
Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Fat Stomach Pouch
Manage Stress In Your Life
A nervous stomach could mean that youre simply in a nervous state. Are you undergoing a lot of stress lately? Do you have a big event, job interview, or nerve-wracking experience coming up? You could just be nervous about it, and it will pass.
If youre dealing with chronic stressful experiences and a lot of nervous stomach symptoms every day, on the other hand, finding time and ways to manage that stress is essential. Your nervous stomach could then subside.
Is Anxiety Making You Poop Heres How To Soothe Your Stomach
Do you ever get the feeling of suddenly needing to go to the bathroom when you hear bad news? Or maybe before an exam or a big presentation at work?
If the answer is yes, you might be experiencing anxiety poop. Anxiety poop affects more of us than you might think.
Anxiety-producing events can trigger digestive issues, including diarrhea, constipation and nausea. This is because your gut and your brain are linked. Anxiety poop is your bodys reaction to extreme stress.
Here are the steps you can take to soothe your stomach and get your anxiety poop under control.
Research indicates that high stress situations can upset the digestive system, triggering diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.
Triggers vary from person to person, but the bodys response is linked to the gut-brain axis.
Maya Eid is a clinical and holistic nutritionist who knows a thing or two about poop.
Stress and anxiety increase hormones, such as cortisol, adrenaline, and serotonin, Eid says.
The gut responds to these hormones by producing physical symptoms, like watery stools, nausea, or constipation.
Serotonin is especially important when were talking about anxiety poop.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and a hormone involved in the peristaltic reflex , Eid says. During heightened anxiety, the amount of serotonin increases in your gut and can cause spasms to happen throughout your entire colon.
These spasms are enough to produce unexpected bowel movements.
Also Check: How To Lose Weight In Breast And Stomach
Stress Causing Stomach Pains
Have you ever wondered why you feel butterflies, knots or nausea in your stomach during a stressful event? In our increasingly fast-paced society, stress is becoming more and more prevalent, and we often experience tummy troubles as a result.
If you find that your stress is causing you to feel physically unwell, read on to learn more about this problem, its effects, and how it can be alleviated.
Hypersensitivity To Abdominal Discomfort
Another related issue that is quite common in those with anxiety is hypersensitivity. This is when the mind becomes “over-sensitive” to the way their body feels. A person with hypersensitivity may notice every single change in the way their body feels, and can’t help but focus on them to the point where they’ll start to feel more severe than they may be. Others with hypersensitivity may focus heavily on a specific part of the body and be especially prone to reacting to how that body part feels.
Many people experience mild stomach discomfort regularly for no clear or medically important reason at all. But those with hypersensitivity are more likely to find it distressing. Since anxiety causes hypersensitivity in many people, that can make it appear that anxiety is “causing” stomach issues that would otherwise be ignored in those without anxiety.
You May Like: Why Does My Stomach Blow Up After I Eat
What Can Parents Do To Help
The first thing our experts suggest is something parents should not do, or at least try not to do: Let kids avoid things they are afraid of. It can be very tempting when children are complaining of a headache or stomach ache to let them stay home from school, or skip the party or the game theyre worried about. But avoidance actually reinforces the anxiety.
If were allowing them to avoid it, says Ms. Greenspan, then theyre not able to learn that they can tolerate it. The message needs to be: I know it hurts, I know its uncomfortable, but I know you can do it.
Another things parents should not do is ask children leading questions like Are you worried about the math test? Questions should be open ended, to avoid suggesting that you expect them to be anxious: How are you feeling about the math test?
If the problems your child is having are disrupting their ability to go to school consistently or concentrate at school, participate in activities, socialize with peers they might have developed an anxiety disorder that should be treated by a mental health professional. The treatment favored by most clinicians for anxiety disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy . CBT helps kids as young as 5 years old identify their anxiety and learn skills to reduce it.
The techniques clinicians teach children to calm down body and mind can also be deployed by parents, for children with less impairing symptoms.
How To Make Spanish Lentil Soup With Potatoes
Surely you’ve experienced butterflies when you’re nervousor that dreadful “pit” in your stomach. But maybe you’ve experienced even worse stomach issues from stress and anxietylike diarrhea, gas, bloating, or even abdominal pain.
It’s no coincidence, gastroenterologist Dr. Roshini Raj says.
“Stress can really negatively affect our health in so many ways, but particularly our gut,” she explains. “When we are under chronic stress, we release hormones, and one is called cortisol. Cortisol is a nasty hormone that can increase your propensity for weight gain, your risk for Type 2 diabetes. It can also cause a lot of digestive problems.”
“There really is an interplay between your gut and your brain, and they’re constantly in conversation with each otherso much so that if you’re anxious and you’re nervous, it can really affect the functioning of your gut,” the doctor continues. “We call the gut the ‘second brain’ or your ‘little brain.'”
“There are four levels of ways stress can affect your digestive tract or your gut,” she adds. And Dr. Raj is going to break each level down, with ways to approach and help each.
What causes a “butterflies” feeling in your stomach?
For tips on what you can do to avoid or calm a nervous stomach, get Dr. Raj’s advice here + her favorite types of calming teas here.
Can you get diarrhea from stress?
How can I balance the bacteria in my gut?
Recommended Reading: Can Iud Cause Stomach Bloating
Are There Foods That Reduce Stomach Pain
Anxiety-related stomach pain is not usually the result of your diet , so there arent necessarily any dietary changes that can help reduce stomach pain.
That said, those with panic attacks are more prone to experiencing more severe stomach discomfort, even when no anxiety is present. In other words, when you have panic attacks, its possible to have stomach pain even without a panic attack.
Also, those with anxiety attacks and severe anxiety are prone to whats known as over-sensitization. That means that they are more likely to notice and feel smaller, normal changes in the body, and these can trigger an anxiety attack. So if your diet does contain foods that cause you gas, stomach discomfort, or mild indigestion, it may be best to avoid them because the slight amount of discomfort could feel worse than it should and may trigger a panic attack.
Thats why healthy eating is important in those that get stomach pain with anxiety. Make sure youre getting:
- Fruits
- Water/Hydration
- Whole-Grain Carbohydrates
Also, if you suffer from stress-induced hyperacidity, then it is recommended that you consume dairy products and non-spicy foods. In moderate amounts, over-the-counter antacids may be needed as well.
In addition, if possible, try to avoid eating until youre too full. Those with severe anxiety sometimes interpret the full feeling as pain, and this could trigger a panic attack and further pain.
Find Space For Yourself To Relax
Ultimately, find time and space for yourself to clear your head and take control of your nervousness, even if it must be total alone time. Dont be afraid to excuse yourself, even from an important event.
If talking to a friend, family member, or loved one helps, do so during this time. Talking with someone you trust can help you overcome anxiety.
Don’t Miss: What To Wear To Flatten Your Stomach
Fight Or Flight Response
It’s a set of symptoms you get when you react to something scary. Your fright triggers the release of certain hormones that send signals through your brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Blood and fuel floods to your arms and legs to prepare to meet the threat with one of two options: fight or run away. Your pulse and breathing speed up. You also might get sweaty and shaky.
Can Stress Cause Stomach Issues Tips For Calming A Nervous Stomach
Stomach in knots, butterflies in your belly, or just a plain nervous can stress cause stomach issues? No matter how you describe it, theres nothing fun about having a nervous stomach. But even less fun is trying to determine if an underlying anxiety issue is causing your belly acheor worse, a serious underlying health condition.
If youre experiencing that you think might be caused by stress, keep reading to learn can stress cause stomach issues?
You May Like: How To Tone Your Stomach In Two Weeks
Types Of Anxiety Bowel Problems
Your entire digestive tract is incredibly complex. There are plenty of medical issues – some common, some more serious – that can alter the health and behavior of the bowels, and lead to discomforts, wet stools, constipation, pain, and many other symptoms. From poor diet to illness, the bowels are often the place affected by a host of medical conditions.
There are also many bowel issues that can relate back to stress and anxiety as well. But what is interesting about bowel issues from anxiety is that they are related in a number of ways, some of which may not even yet be clear.
Below is a quick breakdown of some of the bowel problems that those with anxiety may struggle with. While it is not a comprehensive list, the bowel issues below are some of the most common reported issues and the ones that you or someone you care about may experience if they struggle from anxiety and stress related issues.
Improving Your Gut Health
In the current mindset of masks and disinfectants, were avoiding bacteria likewell the plague, but thats not always the best plan of action.
There are trillions of bacteria living on and in your body right now, especially in your gut. And believe it or not, a good number of those bacteria are actually crucial to a healthy, functioning body.
Your gut microbiota is another way of describing the millions of microorganisms that live inside your gut. And sure, some of these are the bad microbes that easily come to mind when we think of bacteria.
But many of these gut bugs are good or beneficial bacteria. The good bacteria in your gut are crucial to your health. They affect your entire body, especially your immune system, and support your overall wellbeing.
In an ideal environment, the good bacteria would outnumber the bad bacteria and youd have a healthy gut. But its all too common for your gut to be unbalanced with a stronger colony of bad bacteria a condition known as dysbiosis or leaky gut.
When your body is in dysbiosis, the signals that your MGB axis sends to your brain wont be positive or healthy. So dysbiosis wont just have physical manifestations, such as digestive issues. Itll also affect your moods and increase your risk of anxiety.
Long story short: balance your healthy gut bacteria to bad bacteria ratio, and youre much less likely to experience those waves of anxiety.
You May Like: What Will Settle My Stomach
How To Calm An Anxious Stomach
Is stress upsetting your stomach? With a worldwide pandemic causing massive disruption to our normal way of life , its not surprising that stress-induced anxiety levels are higher than ever. In order to help you combat unwanted gastric side effects, weve gathered several tips for how to relax an upset stomach when stress is inevitable, and how to know when you should consult a gastroenterologist.
Can Anxiety Give You Diarrhea
Absolutely. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America says that when a person experiences extreme anxiety, the body responds by releasing certain hormones and chemicals in response. These can disrupt the delicate balance of the gut microbiome, leading to diarrhea. In addition, anxiety changes how the brain reacts to signals from the GI tract, causing the brain to misinterpret anxiety as an indication that digestion is moving too slowly. This causes the brain to send signals to speed up digestion, leading to a churning feeling in the stomach and intestines and resulting in loose stools.
Read Also: How To Stop Stomach Hair From Growing
Tips For Reducing Your Anxiety
You can manage symptoms of anxiety with lifestyle changes such as the following:
How To Overcome Abdominal Pain From Anxiety
If you’re concerned about your abdominal pain, especially if it is significantly disabling or doesn’t appear to let up even when your anxiety has gone away, it never hurts to see a doctor. Only a doctor can diagnose the cause of your pains and discomforts.
There are some strategies you can use to try to overcome this pain. They include:
- Stretching Even though anxiety may be contributing to your muscle tension, the tension is still tension like any other. Stretching is a good way to relieve this tension and make sure that you’re not over-straining your muscles in a way that will cause pain or discomfort.
- Healthy Eating While healthy eating can’t prevent all indigestion and discomfort, it can prevent some of it. That’s why it’s valuable to make sure that you’ve changed your diet to one that is less prone to causing indigestion. Healthy eating, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, does make an impact on stomach pain.
- Exercise Exercise may create pain at first, but over time it will make it easier for your muscles to overcome pain and discomfort. In addition, exercise is a very powerful anxiety reduction tool, so exercise could have added benefits for helping you overcome your anxiety issues.
Of course, the best way to stop your abdominal pain is to stop your anxiety, and the best way to stop your anxiety is to commit yourself to empirically validated treatments.
Was this article helpful?
Read Also: What To Take For Bloated Stomach