Stress & Your GUT

Stress often gets a bad wrap. It's our bodies natural defence mechanism kicking in to allow us to deal with external dangers (you know...when you want to run away from the sabre-toothed tiger) and mental stress (exams, money concerns, balancing work and family). If your cortisol didn't kick in when you felt or experienced any of these situations, we wouldn't cope at all!It's only when stress is long term that things start to get a bit tricky. Long term stress can leave you not only exhausted and feeling drained. but it can impact your body on a physical level as well. It just can be a lot harder to see (until the damage is done).There has been a lot of research on the Brain-Gut connection and how the gut is often referred to as the '2nd brain'. The brain and gut communicate with each other via the central nervous system (the vagus nerve) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA).Your gut not only contains 70% of your immune system, but it produces 90% of your serotonin (your happy hormone) and other feel good hormones such as dopamine and GABA.

So it's no wonder that when our gut is not feeling great, we don't feel so great either!

When you are stressed you release cortisol from your adrenals. But cortisol (bless its little cotton socks..) can promote intestinal barrier dysfunction. To bring it back a few steps, our gut has a protective layer (intestinal barrier), that is there to not only help absorb all the nutrients from the food you eat.  It also acts as a wall to keep out the nasties such as bacteria, fungi, environmental toxins and parasites.

Stress affects the gut in the following ways:

• Gastric secretion (your digestion slows down)
• Gut motility (this could slow down or speed up your digestion)
• Gut function and mucosal blood flow
• Visceral sensitivity (stomach pain)
• Increases inflammation (that word again)

Continual stress exposure can lead to the following digestive conditions:

• Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Inflammatory bowel syndrome
• Food allergy
• SIBO

So what can you do to reduce stress when it's out of control??Let's do some exploring........

1. Do what brings you joy!

Honestly....have you stopped doing something because you're too busy?We often put other family members first before our selves. But a little self care is needed, and trust me. If you come down like a tonne of bricks, the rest of the family will to.List 3 things that you love doing, pick one and start doing it.

2. Meditation

Yeah, yeah....I know you've heard it all before. But there is so much research to prove that it works (that's why it keeps popping up all the time!) If you aren't feeling too confident in starting by yourself. There are now Apps available that can give you guided sessions. Have a look at these...HeadspaceSmiling MindHealthline

3. Get back into nature

Fresh air, no distractions, physical activity and feeling the earth beneath your feet. What more do you need?

4. Delegate

Spread the burden! How many times do you say you're ok, when you're clearly not?This is when family and friends come in handy.

5. Talk to someone

Sometimes by talking over what is troubling you can make you feel so much better. Friend, family member or seek professional help if need be.

6. Time Management

This is a goody if you need to be in 2 places at once or there are a lot of deadlines coming up. It's an oldie, but a goody.

7. Community

See what help is available within your community. The local library is a great place where community events and resources are kept. And a lot of them will be FREE!

REFERENCES

Cahn, Br. et al. 'Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2017 Jun 26;11:315. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. eCollection 2017.Farmer, Adam D. Holly A. Randall and Qasim Aziz, 'It's a gut feeling: How the gut microbiota affects the state of mind', Journal of Physiology, 592. 14 (2014) pp 2981-2988Gladwell. VF et. al. 'The Great Outdoors: how a green environment can benefit all', Extreme Physiology & Medicine,  2013 Jan 3;2(1):3. doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3.Konturek, P.C., Brzozowski, T. , Konturek, S.J. ' Stress and the gut: Pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options'. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2011, 62, 6, 591-599Pokorski, M & Suchorzynska, A. 'Psychobehavioural Effects of Meditation', Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2017 Jun 25. doi: 10.1007/5584_2017_52