Stress increases gut distress

Did you know that the expression ‘butterflies in the stomach’ is said for a reason? Our gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all these feelings (and others) have a close connection with the gut. Stress is associated with changes in gut bacteria, which in turn can influence mood. Thus, emotions can influence gut function.

Link between gut and brain

The brain and gastrointestinal tract are intimately connected to each other. The gut has hundreds of millions of neurons (nerve cells) that can function independently and are in constant communication with the brain. Therefore, stress can affect this brain-gut communication, and may trigger pain, bloating, and gut discomfort. Long-term stress can thus cause constipation, diarrhoea, or an upset stomach.

Stress impacts the gut

Early life stress can impact the development of the nervous system, as well as how the body reacts to stress. These changes can increase the risk of gut diseases or dysfunction in the future. For example, you might feel nauseated before giving a presentation, or feel intestinal pain during times of stress. Stress increases gut distress, and therefore you might get a bout of diarrhoea or repeated urges to urinate during or following a stressful event. Stress can both delay the emptying of stomach contents and speed up the passage of material through the intestines. This combination of activity leads to abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Additionally, acute psychological stress decreases a person’s pain threshold.

Healthy individuals commonly report having abdominal discomfort or a change in bowel function when they are upset or distressed. The commonly used expressions like ‘butterflies in the stomach’, or a ‘gut-wrenching experience’ reflect this connection.

When stressed, individuals may eat much more or much less than usual. Eating more food, or an increase in the use of alcohol or tobacco, can result in heartburn or acid reflux. Unhealthy diets may deteriorate one’s mood. Stress or exhaustion can also increase the severity of regularly occurring heartburn pain. A rare case of spasms in the oesophagus can be set off by intense stress, and can be easily mistaken for a heart attack. Stress may increase the amount of air that is swallowed, which increases burping, bloating and farting

Symptoms:

Many studies show that stressful life events are associated with the onset of symptoms or worsening of symptoms in several digestive conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Peptic Ulcers.

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders or FGID which form 40% of gastrointestinal cases are worsened by stress

In summary, stress can lead to many gastrointestinal symptoms like decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, burping, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and overeating. This is related to the intimate communication and connection between the gastrointestinal tract and brain.

However, before attributing symptoms to stress it is important not to miss a pathological cause for these symptoms. Visit a doctor and get a proper examination done to cause these changes can have a long-term impact and ignoring it can be harmful to health.

(The writer is a Senior Consultant- Gastroenterology, at a hospital in Mulund, Maharashtra)