Have you ever experienced stressful moments? Have you ever had to make a decision under great pressure? If you have experienced these situations, you will easily understand how stress can affect your digestive system. Unfortunately, those who are constantly under pressure, stress and anxiety may face digestive diseases in the not too distant future.

Since the brain and gut are connected, the connection between these two organs is inseparable. In fact, there are more neurons in the gut than in the entire spinal cord.

The gut is controlled to some extent by the central nervous system in the brain and spinal cord. In addition, it has its own nervous system lining the digestive tract, known as the enteric or intrinsic nervous system.

The enteric nervous system, with its 100 million nerve cells lining your digestive tract from the esophagus to the rectum, regulates digestive processes. Such as:

Swallowing
Release of enzymes to break down food
Classification of food as nutrients or waste

Stress can significantly affect the way your body carries out these processes.
How does stress affect the digestive system?
Types of Digestive Problems Types of Digestive Problems

When you are faced with a stressful situation, the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the body's autonomic nervous system, regulates body functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. The sympathetic system responds by releasing the stress hormone cortisol during stressful situations. This is because in these situations, the stress hormone cortisol makes the body alert and ready to deal with the threat.

Stress causes physiological changes such as increased alertness, faster breathing and heart rate, higher blood pressure, higher blood cholesterol, and increased muscle tension.

When stress activates this natural body response in your central nervous system, it can affect your digestive system in the following ways:

Causing your esophagus to spasm
Increased stomach acid, which can lead to indigestion
Causing nausea
Diarrhea or constipation

In more serious cases, stress can reduce blood and oxygen flow to your stomach, which can lead to cramps, inflammation, or an imbalance of gut bacteria. It can also worsen digestive disorders, including:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Peptic ulcers
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Ways to reduce stress to prevent digestive diseases

When you’re stressed, the nervous system sends signals to your gut and intestines, triggering the muscles involved in digestion to go into a “fight or flight” response. They can react by quickly pushing waste through your system, causing nausea, cramping, bloating or diarrhea.

When you’re stressed, your nervous system sends signals to your intestines and stomach, causing the muscles involved in digestion to go into “fight or flight” mode. These muscles can quickly push waste through your digestive system, causing nausea, cramps, bloating, or diarrhea.
https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/gastrointestinal-articles/stress-stomach-pain-when-to-see-a-doctor

Relaxation techniques are often effective for treating stress. However, each method works differently for each person. Here are four different ways to manage stress and anxiety:
1. Exercise regularly

Physical activity relieves tension and stimulates the release of chemicals called endorphins in the brain, which act as natural painkillers. Endorphins improve sleep quality, which can be an effective way to reduce stress.

According to one of the world’s top doctors; this method is one of the best ways to manage stress and maintain proper digestion.
2. Psychotherapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a method that has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety and stress by helping people learn to replace negative and distorted thoughts with positive ones.

Recent research has shown that clinicians have studied the effects of CBT on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), including digestive symptoms, distress, and quality of life. A study of 558 adults with the digestive disorder found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) resulted in sustained improvements in IBS symptoms over 24 months, suggesting both short-term and long-term benefits.
https://cliniczarei.com/digestion/%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%ab%db%8c%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%b1%d8%b3-%da%af%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b4/