How Stress Impacts the Body: Digestive Distress

By Lydia Wallie, Nutrition Director

One of the significant ways that stress can be a challenge to the body is via digestive distress. Here are several ways stress impacts your digestive system.

Stress can alter the brain-gut interactions, which may result in GI disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS: most common symptoms are diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and bloating) and other functional gastrointestinal diseases, food antigen-related adverse responses, peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

These adverse GI disorders result because stress changes how the gut functions. When we’re stressed, the gut secretions become altered, and increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) can also result. If you’ve ever heard of leaky gut concerning food intolerances, sensitivities, or allergies, this is one of the many causes.

One of the most excellent experts on stress, Hans Selye, said that stress may be real (physical) or perceived (psychological) and posed by events in the outside world or from within. The good news is that you can take charge of your stress since there are so many things within your control to change both physically and psychologically.

The best way to handle stress is from the inside out. Start with your thoughts and perceptions, and address the physical aspects like your nutrition, environment, lifestyle, and fitness.

The good news is that we specialize in fitness and nutrition, two of the suggested ways to manage stress. Let us know how we can help you begin or continue building healthy stress management habits!

Sources:

(1) PMID: 22314561