You may have already heard some things about the gut-brain connection. Our gut has hundreds of millions of neurons that are in constant communication with our brains. But did you know that stress, both physical and mental could actually affect communication between the brain and the gut. Stress can be any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain or pressure. In other words, stress is your body’s response to anything that requires attention or action and I’m sure we have all experienced it to some degree. Stress is a normal human reaction and our bodies are well equipped to handle it in SMALL doses. Stress can actually be a positive thing keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger. However, when that stress becomes chronic or long-term, it can negatively impact our entire body as well as our physical and mental wellbeing.
Maybe you have heard of the fight or flight response. This is an automatic physiological reaction that is stimulated by a stressful event…possibly preparing for a big presentation or job interview. These anxious thoughts will then activate the sympathetic nervous system and trigger an acute stress response in our bodies. This type of response leads to an increase in your heart rate and dilation of blood vessels that flow to the heart and other muscles in the body. However, there is constriction of the blood vessels that serve digestion. Simply put, stress decreases blood flow to the gut, which ultimately interferes with digestion.
This is an issue because in order for us to digest our food and absorb all of its nutrients, there must be blood flowing to our gut. With poor blood flow to the gut comes slowed digestion and potentially bloating, abdominal pain and constipation. None of which are comfortable or pleasant to experience.
Unfortunately, for many people food itself brings on a lot of stress. Maybe it’s contemplating that slice of cake you are craving or after giving in to that craving you start to worry and feel a sense of guilt. All I have to say is, any craving you resist, will persist and what foods you stress won’t digest so “go with your gut”, relax and try using these simple tips that will help keep our minds and stomachs at ease, while also helping to optimize our digestion.
Tip One:
Take slow deep breaths before a meal (especially if you are already feeling anxious). Inhale through your nose for 5 seconds, hold for 5 and exhale through your nose or mouth for 5 seconds. Repeat for about 1 minute or as long as you feel is needed.
Tip Two:
Remove all distractions from mealtime…especially your phone. This one has really helped me. You may not realize it, but being on your phone could trigger a whole cascade of events in your body. Maybe you’re frantically responding to a work email or even scrolling on Instagram and come across something that throws off your mood. Although they may be acute stressors, we learned that these things can still impact that gut-brain connection, so we especially want to try to eliminate them during mealtime. This tip has also been shown to prevent over eating at a meal.
Tip Three:
Last but certainly not least, try to be present and really enjoy each bite of your meal. Focus on how it tastes, what are the different textures in each bite, where did the food come from and how does it make you feel, are all some things I like to think about as I’m eating. I like to savor and really enjoy every bite.
