August 2024
Karen Ensle EdD, RDN, FAND, CFCS
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County
Pay attention to your gut-brain connection – it may contribute to your anxiety and digestion problems. The gut-brain connection can link anxiety to stomach problems and vice versa. Have you ever had a "gut-wrenching" experience? Have you ever felt "butterflies" in your stomach? We use these expressions for a reason. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotions such as anger, anxiety, sadness, elation and all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut.
The Sensitive Gut
When your digestive system is running smoothly, you probably don't think about it. Once trouble begins, your gut like a squeaky wheel, suddenly demands your attention. A Special Health Report called The Sensitive Gut, covers the major sources of gastrointestinal distress including irritable bowel syndrome, gastric reflux, upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, and excess gas. It also includes a special Bonus Section describing how emotional stress and anxiety can cause gastrointestinal distress. Through research, we know the brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause of or the product of anxiety, distress, or depression. That's because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected. This is especially true in cases where a person experiences gastrointestinal upset with no obvious physical cause.
Gut Health and Anxiety
Given the close connection of the gut and brain and how they 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 that functional gastrointestinal conditions are imagined or "all in your head." Instead, psychology combines with physical factors to cause pain and other bowel symptoms. In other words, stress (or depression or other psychological factors) can affect 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 persons 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.
Gut-Brain Connection Along with Anxiety and Digestion
Are your stomach or intestinal problems such as heartburn, abdominal cramps, or loose stools related to stress? Watch for these and other common symptoms of stress and discuss them with your doctor. Together you can come up with strategies to help you deal with the stressors in your life and ease your digestive discomforts. It's important to recognize that emotions cause genuine chemical and physical responses in the body that can result in pain and discomfort. Behavioral therapy and stress reduction treatments help manage pain and improve other symptoms in ways that are different from how drugs act. The goal of all therapies is to reduce anxiety, encourage healthy behaviors, and help people cope with the pain and discomfort of their condition. For more on the connection between brain health and gut health, read The Sensitive Gut, a Special Health Report from the Harvard Medical School.