Stress and Gut Health

Can Stress Cause Gastrointestinal Problems?

Have you ever been so nervous that you get sudden diarrhea or have an unexpected urge to vomit? It’s the dumbest thing ever, but I always seem to have to use the restroom in a “big-bad-way” when going through TSA at the airport (I’ve got nothing to hide, I swear, but I always get an irrational sense of anxiety).    

It’s incredibly fascinating how our minds have the ability to directly impact the physiology of our bodies. Some would say that it’s “all in your head,” but Harvard Medical School and several others would disagree. They would contend that stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological factors significantly impact the health of your GI tract, can worsen inflammation in your body, and even make you more susceptible to infection. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Common gastrointestinal symptoms that are caused by stress include:

• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Nausea & vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Constipation & bloating
• Lower abdominal pain [8]

Based on the research presented in the first blog of this series The Importance of Gut Health, there is no question that the bacterial balance of our guts plays a significant role in our mental health. In other words, improving the health of our guts also improves the health of our brains. Who knew that bacteria played such a symbiotic role in human health?

But is the reverse true? By improving our mental health can we also improve our GI health? Is it a two-way connection?

The Gut-Brain Connection = A Two-Way Street

In a short publication on gut health and anxiety, Harvard Medical School indicates that it is, indeed, a two-way connection and that by improving mental health, we can also improve the health of our guts.

“… a review of 13 studies showed that patients who tried psychologically based approaches had greater improvement in their digestive symptoms compared with patients who received only conventional medical treatment.”

Harvard Medical School [9]

So YES, it is a two-way street, and YES, by focusing on managing our stress, we can also improve our gastrointestinal health.

Pregnancy, Stress & Gut Health  

Another relevant question that presented itself while completing this research was, “What does stress do to the microbiome of a child in utero?”  

There are currently two theories on how microbiome is passed from mother to child:

1. Through the delivery process  
2. While the child is in utero

No matter how you cut it, the microbiome of the child is made-up of the microbiome of the mother. Whether the transfer occurs in utero, during labor, or both, there is no question that the stress levels and gut health of the mother are both critical to the development and health of the child. [10, 11, 12, 13]

Stress directly affects the status of your gut biome, so it is important for us to figure out how we can effectively manage our stress levels. Thankfully, we aren’t simply left with advice like “do better” and “be less stressed”. Because stress can so negatively affect human health, a significant amount of research has been conducted in order to find ways to help combat it.   

5 Stress Management Tips

Apart from therapy and other more formal methods of psychological treatments, there are a couple of “at home” methods that have been studied for reducing stress and anxiety.

Ways to reduce stress and promote mental health:

• Get Outside [10, 11]
• Exercise [12, 13, 14]
• Yoga [15]
• Meditation [16, 17]
• Healthy Relationships [22, 23]
• Essential Oils: Orange [18], Bergamot [19], Lavender [20], Rosemary [21, 22], and Vetiver [23]

In the coming months, Chris and I will be exploring each of these methods of stress reduction in greater detail, but for now, the main takeaway is that stress upsets the bacterial balance within the gut, and by addressing our stress, we can support the health of our guts.

Additional Stress Management Tip: Balancing Your Gut Bacteria

Because we’ve already established that the gut-brain axis is a two-way communicator, we can also support our mental health by balancing the bacteria in our guts. It seems redundant to say, but again, this connection runs both ways. By supporting the health and function of your gut, you also support the health and function of your brain, putting you in a better position to handle stress.  

If you are looking for solid research on which foods to eat that aid in your gastrointestinal health, check out the last blog from this series Restoring Gut Flora.

By taking care of your gut health, you set yourself up for success in battling stress, anxiety, and a host of other mental health concerns. Just imagine what could be accomplished if we approached our health holistically, and instead of focusing on simply one area of concern (often times at the expense of other functions), we focused on the health of our bodies as one beautifully orchestrated unit.

Don’t be a stranger, Chris and I would love to hear from you!

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Generic Disclaimer: Chris and I are not medical professionals – if you have any pressing medical concerns, please consult your doctor.