How Stress Can Mess With Your Gut & 4 Things You Can Do About It

In times of stress, many people experience muscle tension, racing thoughts, tightness in the chest, and some may deal with digestive shifts. (Think butterflies in your belly or nerves hitting your stomach.) The fact is, the brain and the gut communicate directly. Emotions and cognitive function affect the intestines and vice versa. Stress can wreak havoc on your stomach—and your gut health can affect stress levels.

The connection between stress and the gut runs deep. High stress can trigger the immune system1 to send out signals to break down the gut lining and an imbalanced or damaged gut may drive a chronic stress response, perpetuating more gut damage.

This can be compounded if you already have leaky gut issues. When the gut barrier is compromised, it allows large compounds into the bloodstream (hence: leaky), creating an overactive inflammatory response. If your body is in a low-grade state of inflammation from leaky gut, it is essentially perceiving a constant threat. Your neurological system stays on edge with a survival response of adrenaline, which you may feel as distress or unease.

The health of your microbiome also matters. The gut produces over 90% of the body's serotonin, as well as GABA, a mellowing neurotransmitter, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine. Based on the balance of gut bacteria2, the gut will either produce more "mellow" or more "stress" neurotransmitters.

To further understand the stress-gut relationship, let's look at two important markers that your doctor may test for: secretory IgA and lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

When these markers are elevated, it typically means you have an infection or a state of gut dysbiosis. The immune system is activated, and in the case of LPS, gut permeability3 is increased in an attempt to "deal" with this imbalance that the gut itself can't resolve.

However, IgA and LPS can also be elevated by a state of mental and emotional stress1. Studies have demonstrated social anxiousness alone can cause elevations in both secretory IgA and LPS, which means chronic stress causes gut permeability and mucosal membrane damage over time.

What's more, when the body is in a stressed state, it tends to burn through the glutamine at a more rapid rate. This amino acid is used to produce GABA, but it is also a fuel source and a building block for gut cells. This means the depletion of glutamine to fight stress further drives gut damage.

So where do you begin? When looking at ways to heal your gut and balance your stress, it's important to reduce inflammation in the diet, support gut health and repair leaky gut, provide rich sources of gut-supporting nutrients, and foster microbiome balance.

Begin with an anti-inflammatory diet that removes the most common allergens: corn, soy, gluten, dairy, and sugar. If after removing these for a period of time, you are still dealing with symptoms of digestive stress or inflammatory response, consider an elimination diet or advanced blood testing.

Next time you realize you are stressed, pause and consider that maybe you can "handle" it but your body may be affected. Find ways to cut down on commitments to maintain a present state in your life and nourish your body to be more resilient to your daily stressors.

Exercising regularly, meditating, reducing caffeine and sugar intakes, and getting the right nutrients from diet or supplementation are also great ways to help promote a healthy stress response.*

When you are in a state of stress, your body functions in the fight-or-flight response rather than rest-and-digest. This can mean fewer digestive enzymes are produced, leaving the gut prone to damage. After an acute bout of stress like a big life change or major event, consider resting your gut by doing a one day reset of just bone broth with optional cooked protein added.

Focus on healing your gut lining by adding therapeutic foods to support absorption of nutrients and reduce inflammatory reactions.

Many of us are overwhelmed or overextended and this chronic stress may be interfering with our gut health, our microbiome, and ultimately our mood. Taking the steps to interrupt these vicious cycles with food as medicine will support your digestive function while reducing inflammation and balancing neurotransmitter output.