Not Wanting To Rock The Boat? Your Colon Will Know!

Our gut brain connection or gut brain axis  is pretty intense. It’s no wonder our emotions affect our intestinal health and vice versa. Gut-wrenching experiences, feeling nauseous in certain situations, and feeling butterflies are fine examples of how our emotional state and gut are linked. Our gastrointestinal tract or GI tract is sensitive to emotions: anxiety, anger, joy, sadness, and any other feelings that exist can trigger different symptoms in our gut.

The gut-brain axis goes both ways so, our brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines, and our gut has an impact on our emotions. This means that our stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause of our stress, anxiety, or depression. The gut-brain connection is a superhighway for communications throughout our system.

Our Gut Health & Anxiety

Because of the close interaction between our gut and brain, it might be easier to understand why a person might get nauseous before giving a speech or experience intestinal pain when they’re stressed. Stress and other psychological factors can affect the movement and contractions of our GI tract, which explains a lot.

Someone with a functional GI disorder will perceive pain more acutely than others because their brain is more responsive to pain signals from the GI tract. Stress only makes the existing pain feel worse.

Various studies have found psychologically-based approaches lead to more significant improvement in a person’s digestive symptoms than the conventional medical treatments used. Some patients with functional GI conditions can improve their health with a therapy of some sort.

Our body communicates amongst itself and all the parts, as well as with us. If we are mindful and pay attention to the signs and symptoms our body sends, we could improve our health on so many levels. Learning how to have a balance within our symptoms is essential for our general well-being and overall health.

You might notice that people with emotional or mental health issues also have intestinal health problems in life. Our gut bacteria have a lot to do with the gut-brain connection. Gut microbiota has an essential role in bidirectional interactions between our gut and nervous system. It regulates our brain’s chemistry and influences our neuroendocrine systems. The Neuro-endocrine system is associated with memory function, stress response, and anxiety.

Prevention is the best medicine! That being said, staying up on our gut health will help prevent other issues from ever taking place. Suppose you had lunch that wasn’t the healthiest choice, and when you got back to work, the boss was going off on you. There’s a possibility that the food you ate that fired up your gut will have your stress levels peaking just as high! Take care of all aspects of your health, not just the physical!