May 8, 2025 • 20 mins
Welcome to our first listener Q&A Episode! This question comes from Bianca from Canada: Why does stress make my IBS and digestive symptoms worse?
This topic is super important, and fairly complex. I see the connection play out very often in my clients with digestive issues like IBS, SIBO and IBD. More often than not, they know that stress is a huge trigger for flare-ups. And when they come to me, many are often in a high-stress state due to their life commitments, work, family, etc.But also more often than not, they don’t realize how much stress is actually affecting their digestion and ability to heal from IBS.
⏱️ Chapters:
- (00:00) – Intro
- (2:30) – Why Does Stress Make My IBS Worse?
- (3:18) – The Stress-Gut Connection in IBS and Other Conditions
- (5:01) – What Happens in the Body During Stress?
- (7:04) – When Stress Becomes Harmful
- (8:40) – Cortisol, Adrenaline, and Digestion
- (10:30) – Chronic Stress and the Nervous System
- (12:20) – Gut-Brain Axis and the Vagus Nerve
- (14:15) – How Stress Impacts Gut Motility
- (16:05) – Stress-Driven Changes in Eating Habits
- (17:35) – The Gut Microbiome and Stress-Induced Dysbiosis
- (19:25) – Inflammation and Cortisol Dysfunction
- (21:40) – Long-Term Strategies for Stress Resilience
- (24:14) – Quick Stress-Relief Tools for IBS Management
- (26:43) – Final Thoughts on Managing Stress for Gut Health
—
👩🏻💻 RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED: ⤵️
📌 The Tapping Solution App (50% Off Annual Subscription + 2 Week Free Trial)
📌 The Powerful Effect of Stress on Your Gut Health and IBS Symptoms
—
✉️ CONNECT WITH ME: ⤵️
🖥️ Shop the Resource Suite
👩🏻⚕️ Apply For Coaching
If the GutFit Nutrition Podcast is giving you value - helped your digestion and fitness, made you rethink how you approach your gut health, please consider leaving a review! 🎧
If you have questions for my listener Q & A episodes, you can submit them here, or send me an email at leigh@leighmerotto.com. See you soon!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Gut Fit NutritionPodcast, the show where we dive
deep into the world of gut health, nutrition and fitness to
help you unlock your best self from the inside out.
I'm your host, Lee Morado, a registered dietitian, gut health
expert, long distance runner, and movement enthusiast on a
mission to empower you with science backed whole body
strategies to fuel your body, heal your gut, and thrive in
(00:22):
your active life. Whether you're here to finally
break free from IBS and digestive symptoms, optimize
your fitness performance, or learn how to support your gut
health with natural strategies, you're in the right place.
Each week we'll explore topics like conquering digestive
symptoms, building a gut friendly lifestyle, enhancing
endurance and strength performance, and more.
So grab a cup of your favorite gut friendly tea and settle in
(00:45):
because we're about to get gut fit together.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the first listener Q&A on the
Gut Fit Nutrition podcast. So I've received a lot of
questions from listeners and community members about
questions you want me to cover on the podcast.
(01:05):
So periodically I will be hosting these listener Q&A
episodes and to go through any questions that you send me.
So I always love to hear from you.
I'm always interested to hear what community members, those
outside like my client base, youknow, really want to learn more
about or, or interested in or what are sort of the, you know,
(01:27):
the main, main themes or topics that people are talking about in
the gut health and fitness space.
So we will have upcoming Q&A episodes gathered a few
different questions and organizethem into different themes.
So we'll have ones coming up on bloating, motility problems,
SIBO running related digestive issues, reflux and more.
(01:49):
So if you do have any questions you want me to cover, you can
either drop them as a comment onthis episode depending on where
you're listening on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or Amazon Music.
I do read all of your comments and reviews or you can also send
me Adm over on Instagram at LimaAuto under score Rd.
(02:09):
So love to hear from you. If you have any questions you
want me to cover in upcoming episodes, do send those along.
So let's get into our first listener Q&A.
So the first one is from Bianca from Canada.
So she asked why does stress make my digestion and IBS worse?
So let's get into this. So it is a really important
(02:32):
topic really the connection between stress, gut, brain
connection and IBS. And it can be quite complex,
like it works in in both ways. And I really see this connection
play out very often like my my clients with digestive issues,
specifically IBS, but also SIBO,inflammatory bowel disease,
reflux, really more often than not, they know that stress is
(02:54):
really a big trigger for their flare ups.
And often when they do come to me, you know, when we start to
work together in my coaching program, many are often really
in a high stress state due to their life commitments, work,
family, etcetera. And then also we know that
dealing with, you know, what digestive disorder adds another
level of stress, You know, stress around travel and what to
(03:15):
eat and stress about anticipating your symptoms and
all that. However, a common theme I do
find is that more often than not, many people don't actually
realize how much stress is actually affecting your
digestion and your ability to heal from these conditions.
So This is why I, I really love this question today.
So to get into this and understand this a little bit
(03:37):
more, we need to really lay downwhat actually stress is.
So do you know what happens whenyou're stressed?
I know you probably think about the symptoms that you experience
when something stressful happensto you, like your boss asking
you to take over a presentation with short notice.
Or maybe you get stuck in a delay on your connecting flight.
So your heart often starts racing.
You know, you feel a sense of pressure in your chest.
(04:00):
For some people, it's in their stomach as well, butterflies in
the tummy. Your mind begins to race and you
feel tense. So this is really like a natural
stress reaction going on in yourbody.
So stress, put simply, is the response of your body and your
mind to the demands being placedon you.
So when you do feel threatened, your brain signals release of
(04:20):
hormones to prepare your body totake action.
So that fight or flight response, and I always like to
lay this down with, you know, stress can be a positive force
in our life. It's not always inherently, you
know, a negative thing. It can help us to react to a
situation such as a fire in our building and, you know, allows
us to step up to the the plane and, and save ourselves and
(04:43):
others or, you know, work to towards a deadline at work and,
and helps us feel motivated and energize us.
However, the issue is that maybewhen we don't have enough time
to come down between stressful events or if we're always
reacting to things in a fight orflight response and really,
(05:04):
really letting things get out ofhand, that's when stress can
become like more of a, a negative force on our health.
So laying down the hormones involved in stress a little bit
more. The first one is cortisol that
you've probably heard of. So cortisol is also known as a
stress hormone. That said, it actually has
really good beneficial, you knowpurpose in our in our
day-to-day. So it actually naturally rises
(05:28):
in the morning and then begins to fall throughout the day.
So it is involved in alert fullness and energy.
But specifically when we, you know are faced with a large
stressor, our sympathetic nervous system is activated and
cortisol is released. This increases our blood sugars,
actually stops our insulin production and tightens our
blood vessels. So this is sort of responsive
(05:49):
cortisol to, you know, a major stressor.
We also get a surge of adrenaline.
So we experience a big surge of adrenaline that increases our
heart rate to pump blood faster.And then this stress response
really turns off again that parasympathetic nervous system,
which is responsible for our daily processes like digestion.
So typically this is a normal response.
(06:12):
You know, it's normal. Our body is very smart and it's
going to react in a way that it,it's wants to take the best care
of us. So our stress response is a
normal response. So typically then our body would
respond to the stressor and thenfunctions return back to normal.
However, as I mentioned, you know, when we're chronically
stressed or we're chronically inthat sympathetic state or
(06:33):
sympathetic nervous system is the one that's more strongly
turned on and are parasympathetic, which is
responsible for daily processes like digestion or rest and
digest response is sort of on the on the back burner.
That's when we get these issues.So it can actually be, you know,
lead to adrenal fatigue and exhaustion.
If you think about, you know, continually pushing some things
(06:54):
to its limits, it breaks down and it gives up.
So this is what can happen if welet our stress go unmanaged for
a long period of time and we don't take that time to reset
our nervous system and manage our nervous system.
So again, some stress can be a good thing.
It motivates us to work towards our goals.
You know, think about Olympic athletes.
They use that that stress or that pressure well, at least the
(07:16):
ones that you know perform at their best.
They use that to their advantageto help motivate them and and
really drive them to a high, high level of performance.
So stress can be be a good thingand it is good to Remember
Remember that. However, too much stress then if
maybe goes unmanaged, it can impair our mental health and it
can yes, have an impact on our gut health because of the way
(07:40):
that it may slow down our everyday processes or sort of
shut down that parasympathetic nervous system.
So digging into it a little bit more, really what is the gut
brain axis or the gut brain connection?
So our gut, also known as our gastrointestinal tract, is the
pathway from our mouth, you know, through our esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and out to the other
(08:02):
end. And our gut is actually referred
to as our second brain. So our gut is closely connected
and constantly communicating with our brain through nerve
endings, neurochemicals, and ourgut bacteria too.
So they're actually sending likemessages back and forth from the
gut to the brain, the brain to the gut.
The largest nerve, it's actuallya pair of nerves in the gut.
(08:23):
Brain connection is the vagus nerve.
So the vagus nerve represents the main component of our
parasympathetic nervous system. Again, the part of the nervous
system that's responsible for our crucial bodily functions,
control of mood, immune system response, digestion and heart
rate. So that vagus nerve is actually
responsible for our parasympathetic nervous system
(08:45):
response. So the gutberinaxis is quite a
complex system, includes the nervous or sorry, the vagus
nerve, but also hormonal and immunolinks and the influence of
our gut microbiota or those populations of bacteria and
microbes, yeast, etcetera, in our gut microbiome, our large
bowel in order to regulate our GI functions, sort of a
(09:08):
homeostasis or a balance in our gastrointestinal date and
functions. So really how does stress impact
gut health then? So if we, we get into this a
little bit further, now that we understand what stress is,
understanding the role of the gut, brain access, there's
really 4 main areas that are actually impacted when our body
is under a large amount of stress, whether it is a short
(09:30):
term, acute or that long term stress.
So we know that the first one ismotility changes.
So as mentioned, the stress response triggers the hormones
cortisol and adrenaline to get released.
Cortisol then turns off the parasympathetic nervous system,
which is responsible for digestive regulation.
So that rest and digest responsegets turned off.
And this is thought to be through the CRF or corticotropin
(09:54):
releasing factor, which is considered to be like a pivotal
component in our HPA access to sort of the regulation of these
systems. And it's produced in our sort of
central and then our peripheral or outside tissues in response
to to stress. So when this CRF is released, it
acts on enteric peristalsis, AKAin simple terms, the movement of
(10:17):
our digestive tract, which is thought to play, you know, an
important role in even functional inorganic gut
disorders like IBS. So when there are changes in how
peristalsis or movement of food through our intestinal tract is
occurring, this can result in changes in motility.
So in simple terms, motility refers to the movement of food
(10:39):
through our gut. So if we have changes in
motility or things get thrown off track, you know this can
result in early fullness like feeling really full even after a
small amount of food. This is very common in IDs SIBO
2, increase in bloating distension as well as changes in
your colonic movement or the movement of your colon like
diarrhea, loose stools, or Constipation.
(11:01):
That's experience with stress. The second change that really
happens when we are stressed is of course, changes in eating
patterns. So think about it right now,
maybe reflect on it. But how does stress impact your
eating choices? Do you maybe tend to eat more or
do you eat less? Do you reach for things that are
just easy to grab and maybe are lower in fiber or maybe are not,
(11:23):
you know, sort of in line with agut friendly diet or a diet or
foods that are going to help, you know, keep your symptoms
under control and help support your microbiome?
This tends to happen. It's pretty common.
You may reach for maybe take outfood or you just reach for some
simple safe foods that you have in your cupboard but maybe
aren't the most balanced options.
(11:44):
A lot of people tend to lose their appetite, you know,
decrease the amount of food thatyou eat.
So this can even result in eating less nutritious foods
that include fiber and nutrientsto support your gut health.
So this too can also, you know, cause a change in the types of
bacteria that thrive and may tend to support more pathogenic
bacteria in their gut. The third way that stress can
(12:06):
impact our our gut health then is actually the gut microbiome.
So we've seen that the heightened inflammation that's
triggered by stress can actuallytrigger blooms of pathogenic or
sort of quote UN quote, unhealthy bacteria that
encourage dysbiosis or an imbalance of microbiome and
leaky gut. And really the principal
pathogens in this group are Salmonella, Shigella,
(12:28):
Campylobacter, invasive E coli and Yersinia.
And this inflammation is gettingrelated to the release of that
those catecholamines. So this includes the adrenaline
noradrenaline, which are released by your adrenal glands
when your brain senses A stressor or threat.
So we've seen then that actuallychronic stress can result in a
(12:49):
dysbiosis or this imbalance of healthy and pathogenic bacteria
in our gut microbiome. Ideally for, you know, to help
have an effective digestive system and to really manage IBS,
we want to make sure that we areaddressing dysbiosis and we're
not contributing to that becausewe need to have those good
bacteria to help prevent disease, regulate our immune
(13:11):
system and our digestive functions.
And then the last way that stress really can impact our gut
health is through inflammation. So we see that stress can result
in increasing inflammation in a few ways.
So this is more related to long term or unmanaged stress.
So we tend to get a level of cortisol dysfunction.
(13:31):
So again, cortisol is a good thing.
It is naturally released when weare more stressed.
It's even released during high intensity exercise.
And it helps, you know, release our resources and help us take
action. And it does naturally ebb and
flow throughout our day, you know, peaks in the morning, as I
mentioned, to help us with waking up and alert fullness.
(13:51):
However, when long term stress goes unmanaged, then our body
can become less responsive to cortisol and that's where the
dysfunction can occur. So cortisol is a potent
anti-inflammatory hormone. Yes, you heard that right.
So cortisol's actually anti-inflammatory, however it's
dysfunction. So if it's not being secreted
(14:13):
properly or there's actually a loss of cortisol secretion,
which can happen when we are constantly pumping out cortisol,
then we can actually get more chronic inflammation.
So low cortisol is linked with inflammatory cytokines, stress
related chronic pain and really an increase in salivary
(14:33):
hypocorticulism. So having more cortisol in our
saliva essentially. So really as mentioned before,
you know, the stress response promotes the growth of these
pathogenic bacteria. These can also contribute to
inflammation. So there's that connection to
where a chronic stress can result in a more dysbiotic state
(14:53):
in our gut and that can increaseinflammation too.
So inflammation is not somethingthat we want.
Most inflammation in the body stems from within the gut.
And with IBS 2 it we know that there's a level of low grade
inflammation on the gut that doesn't come up in routine
testing, but does actually contribute to symptoms like
abdominal pain and changes in motility.
(15:14):
So this is another reason why chronic stress can can make it
very difficult to actually manage or heal from your IBS
symptoms. So all that to say, not doom and
gloom. You know, there's ways that we
can manage our stress. And again, stress is a good
thing. So it's not about reducing your
stress. I actually find it a bit of a
pet peeve when I hear the term reduce your stress, because if
(15:37):
that can be very difficult and sometimes just the aspect of
trying to reduce our stress can make us more stress because
there's things that are going tocome up in our life.
You may have a family, you have young children or you're taking
care of an elderly parent or youhave a job that's very
demanding, but you do really enjoy it.
So it can be really hard to justsimply reduce your stress.
So that's why I like to say moremanage your stress or even
(15:59):
improve your resilience to stress.
So I like to break this down into one, the long term
management of stress and building resilience.
And then there's also acute or short term ways of managing
stress and calming your nervous system in the moment.
So those long term strategies, these would include strategies
that build up your resilience, your tolerance to stress, and
help you lower your stress levels just naturally on a daily
(16:22):
basis. So this includes eating enough
nutrients that actually help us manage stress and lower blood
pressure. Yes, nutrition helps you to be
more resilient to stressful events.
You heard that right, so this includes nutrients like
potassium, magnesium, good quality slow digesting, complex
carbs, omega-3 fats, our EPA andDHA, and vitamin D.
(16:44):
Sleep hygiene is a crucial 1. When we sleep, our nervous
system repairs and it's replenishes.
So getting enough good quality sleep helps us to be more
resilient to the stress that happens during the during the
daytime, staying active. So regular physical activity,
combination of low to moderate to even some high intensity
(17:05):
exercise is super great for helping your body be more
resilient to stress. Creating boundaries.
So this can be maybe working with, you know, a therapist or
working through personal boundaries and, and saying no to
events or responsibilities that don't serve you or sort of push
you over the edge in terms of your, you know, mental capacity.
Hydration is key. And then even just daily
(17:27):
mindfulness practices, journaling, meditation, walking
without distractions and breathing exercises.
So what are the short term strategies?
So in the moment when maybe stress is higher than usual,
again, maybe you're, you've, youknow, ran to catch a delayed
flight, you're feeling like the,the butterflies in your stomach
after that, or it's been just a really intense day at work, you
(17:51):
know, that that may result in changes in your digestive
system. So what are some things that you
can help to regulate your nervous system and also support
that vagus nerve to get into therest and digest response?
So this includes things like meditation.
We've seen in many studies that meditation is great for people
with IBS. Breathing exercises,
diaphragmatic breathing, square breathing are great.
(18:13):
Journaling. So gratitude journaling, simply
writing down things that you're grateful for every day helps
improve mood, supports the Gutbrain connection.
I love EFT tapping or emotional freedom technique.
I will link to the tapping solution app.
I have a promo code for community.
I'll put that in the show notes and gentle movement.
So things like walking or yoga or cycling can help as well.
(18:36):
So really our Gruppring connection is a super important
consideration if you're really looking to support your gut
health. So we can't avoid stress
entirely like I mentioned, but really managing those acute
stressors before it turns into chronic stress and helping your
body to, you know, recover from stressful events and be more
resilient is extremely important.
(18:58):
So I hope that answered your question.
I will link some relevant articles below.
And yeah, that was that was really helpful and it's a really
good one to talk about in the context of IBS.
That's a wrap for today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening and being a part of our
(19:18):
community here. If the Gut Fit Nutrition podcast
is giving you value, helped yourdigestion and fitness, made you
rethink how you approach your gut health, consider leaving a
review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you're getting your
podcasts. If you have questions for my
listener Q&A episodes, you can submit them as a comment on this
episode or send me an e-mail at lee@leemorado.com.
(19:41):
For more digestible IBS gut health and fitness tips, be sure
to follow me on Instagram at LeeMorado under score Rd. and to
apply for coaching, shop the resource suite or grab a
freebie, visit getfitnutrition.com.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll be in touch soon.
Welcome to the Gut Fit NutritionPodcast, the show where we dive
deep into the world of gut health, nutrition and fitness to
help you unlock your best self from the inside out.
I'm your host, Lee Morado, a registered dietitian, gut health
expert, long distance runner, and movement enthusiast on a
mission to empower you with science backed whole body
strategies to fuel your body, heal your gut, and thrive in
(00:22):
your active life. Whether you're here to finally
break free from IBS and digestive symptoms, optimize
your fitness performance, or learn how to support your gut
health with natural strategies, you're in the right place.
Each week we'll explore topics like conquering digestive
symptoms, building a gut friendly lifestyle, enhancing
endurance and strength performance, and more.
So grab a cup of your favorite gut friendly tea and settle in
(00:45):
because we're about to get gut fit together.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the first listener Q&A on the
Gut Fit Nutrition podcast. So I've received a lot of
questions from listeners and community members about
questions you want me to cover on the podcast.
(01:05):
So periodically I will be hosting these listener Q&A
episodes and to go through any questions that you send me.
So I always love to hear from you.
I'm always interested to hear what community members, those
outside like my client base, youknow, really want to learn more
about or, or interested in or what are sort of the, you know,
(01:27):
the main, main themes or topics that people are talking about in
the gut health and fitness space.
So we will have upcoming Q&A episodes gathered a few
different questions and organizethem into different themes.
So we'll have ones coming up on bloating, motility problems,
SIBO running related digestive issues, reflux and more.
(01:49):
So if you do have any questions you want me to cover, you can
either drop them as a comment onthis episode depending on where
you're listening on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or Amazon Music.
I do read all of your comments and reviews or you can also send
me Adm over on Instagram at LimaAuto under score Rd.
(02:09):
So love to hear from you. If you have any questions you
want me to cover in upcoming episodes, do send those along.
So let's get into our first listener Q&A.
So the first one is from Bianca from Canada.
So she asked why does stress make my digestion and IBS worse?
So let's get into this. So it is a really important
(02:32):
topic really the connection between stress, gut, brain
connection and IBS. And it can be quite complex,
like it works in in both ways. And I really see this connection
play out very often like my my clients with digestive issues,
specifically IBS, but also SIBO,inflammatory bowel disease,
reflux, really more often than not, they know that stress is
(02:54):
really a big trigger for their flare ups.
And often when they do come to me, you know, when we start to
work together in my coaching program, many are often really
in a high stress state due to their life commitments, work,
family, etcetera. And then also we know that
dealing with, you know, what digestive disorder adds another
level of stress, You know, stress around travel and what to
(03:15):
eat and stress about anticipating your symptoms and
all that. However, a common theme I do
find is that more often than not, many people don't actually
realize how much stress is actually affecting your
digestion and your ability to heal from these conditions.
So This is why I, I really love this question today.
So to get into this and understand this a little bit
(03:37):
more, we need to really lay downwhat actually stress is.
So do you know what happens whenyou're stressed?
I know you probably think about the symptoms that you experience
when something stressful happensto you, like your boss asking
you to take over a presentation with short notice.
Or maybe you get stuck in a delay on your connecting flight.
So your heart often starts racing.
You know, you feel a sense of pressure in your chest.
(04:00):
For some people, it's in their stomach as well, butterflies in
the tummy. Your mind begins to race and you
feel tense. So this is really like a natural
stress reaction going on in yourbody.
So stress, put simply, is the response of your body and your
mind to the demands being placedon you.
So when you do feel threatened, your brain signals release of
(04:20):
hormones to prepare your body totake action.
So that fight or flight response, and I always like to
lay this down with, you know, stress can be a positive force
in our life. It's not always inherently, you
know, a negative thing. It can help us to react to a
situation such as a fire in our building and, you know, allows
us to step up to the the plane and, and save ourselves and
(04:43):
others or, you know, work to towards a deadline at work and,
and helps us feel motivated and energize us.
However, the issue is that maybewhen we don't have enough time
to come down between stressful events or if we're always
reacting to things in a fight orflight response and really,
(05:04):
really letting things get out ofhand, that's when stress can
become like more of a, a negative force on our health.
So laying down the hormones involved in stress a little bit
more. The first one is cortisol that
you've probably heard of. So cortisol is also known as a
stress hormone. That said, it actually has
really good beneficial, you knowpurpose in our in our
day-to-day. So it actually naturally rises
(05:28):
in the morning and then begins to fall throughout the day.
So it is involved in alert fullness and energy.
But specifically when we, you know are faced with a large
stressor, our sympathetic nervous system is activated and
cortisol is released. This increases our blood sugars,
actually stops our insulin production and tightens our
blood vessels. So this is sort of responsive
(05:49):
cortisol to, you know, a major stressor.
We also get a surge of adrenaline.
So we experience a big surge of adrenaline that increases our
heart rate to pump blood faster.And then this stress response
really turns off again that parasympathetic nervous system,
which is responsible for our daily processes like digestion.
So typically this is a normal response.
(06:12):
You know, it's normal. Our body is very smart and it's
going to react in a way that it,it's wants to take the best care
of us. So our stress response is a
normal response. So typically then our body would
respond to the stressor and thenfunctions return back to normal.
However, as I mentioned, you know, when we're chronically
stressed or we're chronically inthat sympathetic state or
(06:33):
sympathetic nervous system is the one that's more strongly
turned on and are parasympathetic, which is
responsible for daily processes like digestion or rest and
digest response is sort of on the on the back burner.
That's when we get these issues.So it can actually be, you know,
lead to adrenal fatigue and exhaustion.
If you think about, you know, continually pushing some things
(06:54):
to its limits, it breaks down and it gives up.
So this is what can happen if welet our stress go unmanaged for
a long period of time and we don't take that time to reset
our nervous system and manage our nervous system.
So again, some stress can be a good thing.
It motivates us to work towards our goals.
You know, think about Olympic athletes.
They use that that stress or that pressure well, at least the
(07:16):
ones that you know perform at their best.
They use that to their advantageto help motivate them and and
really drive them to a high, high level of performance.
So stress can be be a good thingand it is good to Remember
Remember that. However, too much stress then if
maybe goes unmanaged, it can impair our mental health and it
can yes, have an impact on our gut health because of the way
(07:40):
that it may slow down our everyday processes or sort of
shut down that parasympathetic nervous system.
So digging into it a little bit more, really what is the gut
brain axis or the gut brain connection?
So our gut, also known as our gastrointestinal tract, is the
pathway from our mouth, you know, through our esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and out to the other
(08:02):
end. And our gut is actually referred
to as our second brain. So our gut is closely connected
and constantly communicating with our brain through nerve
endings, neurochemicals, and ourgut bacteria too.
So they're actually sending likemessages back and forth from the
gut to the brain, the brain to the gut.
The largest nerve, it's actuallya pair of nerves in the gut.
(08:23):
Brain connection is the vagus nerve.
So the vagus nerve represents the main component of our
parasympathetic nervous system. Again, the part of the nervous
system that's responsible for our crucial bodily functions,
control of mood, immune system response, digestion and heart
rate. So that vagus nerve is actually
responsible for our parasympathetic nervous system
(08:45):
response. So the gutberinaxis is quite a
complex system, includes the nervous or sorry, the vagus
nerve, but also hormonal and immunolinks and the influence of
our gut microbiota or those populations of bacteria and
microbes, yeast, etcetera, in our gut microbiome, our large
bowel in order to regulate our GI functions, sort of a
(09:08):
homeostasis or a balance in our gastrointestinal date and
functions. So really how does stress impact
gut health then? So if we, we get into this a
little bit further, now that we understand what stress is,
understanding the role of the gut, brain access, there's
really 4 main areas that are actually impacted when our body
is under a large amount of stress, whether it is a short
(09:30):
term, acute or that long term stress.
So we know that the first one ismotility changes.
So as mentioned, the stress response triggers the hormones
cortisol and adrenaline to get released.
Cortisol then turns off the parasympathetic nervous system,
which is responsible for digestive regulation.
So that rest and digest responsegets turned off.
And this is thought to be through the CRF or corticotropin
(09:54):
releasing factor, which is considered to be like a pivotal
component in our HPA access to sort of the regulation of these
systems. And it's produced in our sort of
central and then our peripheral or outside tissues in response
to to stress. So when this CRF is released, it
acts on enteric peristalsis, AKAin simple terms, the movement of
(10:17):
our digestive tract, which is thought to play, you know, an
important role in even functional inorganic gut
disorders like IBS. So when there are changes in how
peristalsis or movement of food through our intestinal tract is
occurring, this can result in changes in motility.
So in simple terms, motility refers to the movement of food
(10:39):
through our gut. So if we have changes in
motility or things get thrown off track, you know this can
result in early fullness like feeling really full even after a
small amount of food. This is very common in IDs SIBO
2, increase in bloating distension as well as changes in
your colonic movement or the movement of your colon like
diarrhea, loose stools, or Constipation.
(11:01):
That's experience with stress. The second change that really
happens when we are stressed is of course, changes in eating
patterns. So think about it right now,
maybe reflect on it. But how does stress impact your
eating choices? Do you maybe tend to eat more or
do you eat less? Do you reach for things that are
just easy to grab and maybe are lower in fiber or maybe are not,
(11:23):
you know, sort of in line with agut friendly diet or a diet or
foods that are going to help, you know, keep your symptoms
under control and help support your microbiome?
This tends to happen. It's pretty common.
You may reach for maybe take outfood or you just reach for some
simple safe foods that you have in your cupboard but maybe
aren't the most balanced options.
(11:44):
A lot of people tend to lose their appetite, you know,
decrease the amount of food thatyou eat.
So this can even result in eating less nutritious foods
that include fiber and nutrientsto support your gut health.
So this too can also, you know, cause a change in the types of
bacteria that thrive and may tend to support more pathogenic
bacteria in their gut. The third way that stress can
(12:06):
impact our our gut health then is actually the gut microbiome.
So we've seen that the heightened inflammation that's
triggered by stress can actuallytrigger blooms of pathogenic or
sort of quote UN quote, unhealthy bacteria that
encourage dysbiosis or an imbalance of microbiome and
leaky gut. And really the principal
pathogens in this group are Salmonella, Shigella,
(12:28):
Campylobacter, invasive E coli and Yersinia.
And this inflammation is gettingrelated to the release of that
those catecholamines. So this includes the adrenaline
noradrenaline, which are released by your adrenal glands
when your brain senses A stressor or threat.
So we've seen then that actuallychronic stress can result in a
(12:49):
dysbiosis or this imbalance of healthy and pathogenic bacteria
in our gut microbiome. Ideally for, you know, to help
have an effective digestive system and to really manage IBS,
we want to make sure that we areaddressing dysbiosis and we're
not contributing to that becausewe need to have those good
bacteria to help prevent disease, regulate our immune
(13:11):
system and our digestive functions.
And then the last way that stress really can impact our gut
health is through inflammation. So we see that stress can result
in increasing inflammation in a few ways.
So this is more related to long term or unmanaged stress.
So we tend to get a level of cortisol dysfunction.
(13:31):
So again, cortisol is a good thing.
It is naturally released when weare more stressed.
It's even released during high intensity exercise.
And it helps, you know, release our resources and help us take
action. And it does naturally ebb and
flow throughout our day, you know, peaks in the morning, as I
mentioned, to help us with waking up and alert fullness.
(13:51):
However, when long term stress goes unmanaged, then our body
can become less responsive to cortisol and that's where the
dysfunction can occur. So cortisol is a potent
anti-inflammatory hormone. Yes, you heard that right.
So cortisol's actually anti-inflammatory, however it's
dysfunction. So if it's not being secreted
(14:13):
properly or there's actually a loss of cortisol secretion,
which can happen when we are constantly pumping out cortisol,
then we can actually get more chronic inflammation.
So low cortisol is linked with inflammatory cytokines, stress
related chronic pain and really an increase in salivary
(14:33):
hypocorticulism. So having more cortisol in our
saliva essentially. So really as mentioned before,
you know, the stress response promotes the growth of these
pathogenic bacteria. These can also contribute to
inflammation. So there's that connection to
where a chronic stress can result in a more dysbiotic state
(14:53):
in our gut and that can increaseinflammation too.
So inflammation is not somethingthat we want.
Most inflammation in the body stems from within the gut.
And with IBS 2 it we know that there's a level of low grade
inflammation on the gut that doesn't come up in routine
testing, but does actually contribute to symptoms like
abdominal pain and changes in motility.
(15:14):
So this is another reason why chronic stress can can make it
very difficult to actually manage or heal from your IBS
symptoms. So all that to say, not doom and
gloom. You know, there's ways that we
can manage our stress. And again, stress is a good
thing. So it's not about reducing your
stress. I actually find it a bit of a
pet peeve when I hear the term reduce your stress, because if
(15:37):
that can be very difficult and sometimes just the aspect of
trying to reduce our stress can make us more stress because
there's things that are going tocome up in our life.
You may have a family, you have young children or you're taking
care of an elderly parent or youhave a job that's very
demanding, but you do really enjoy it.
So it can be really hard to justsimply reduce your stress.
So that's why I like to say moremanage your stress or even
(15:59):
improve your resilience to stress.
So I like to break this down into one, the long term
management of stress and building resilience.
And then there's also acute or short term ways of managing
stress and calming your nervous system in the moment.
So those long term strategies, these would include strategies
that build up your resilience, your tolerance to stress, and
help you lower your stress levels just naturally on a daily
(16:22):
basis. So this includes eating enough
nutrients that actually help us manage stress and lower blood
pressure. Yes, nutrition helps you to be
more resilient to stressful events.
You heard that right, so this includes nutrients like
potassium, magnesium, good quality slow digesting, complex
carbs, omega-3 fats, our EPA andDHA, and vitamin D.
(16:44):
Sleep hygiene is a crucial 1. When we sleep, our nervous
system repairs and it's replenishes.
So getting enough good quality sleep helps us to be more
resilient to the stress that happens during the during the
daytime, staying active. So regular physical activity,
combination of low to moderate to even some high intensity
(17:05):
exercise is super great for helping your body be more
resilient to stress. Creating boundaries.
So this can be maybe working with, you know, a therapist or
working through personal boundaries and, and saying no to
events or responsibilities that don't serve you or sort of push
you over the edge in terms of your, you know, mental capacity.
Hydration is key. And then even just daily
(17:27):
mindfulness practices, journaling, meditation, walking
without distractions and breathing exercises.
So what are the short term strategies?
So in the moment when maybe stress is higher than usual,
again, maybe you're, you've, youknow, ran to catch a delayed
flight, you're feeling like the,the butterflies in your stomach
after that, or it's been just a really intense day at work, you
(17:51):
know, that that may result in changes in your digestive
system. So what are some things that you
can help to regulate your nervous system and also support
that vagus nerve to get into therest and digest response?
So this includes things like meditation.
We've seen in many studies that meditation is great for people
with IBS. Breathing exercises,
diaphragmatic breathing, square breathing are great.
(18:13):
Journaling. So gratitude journaling, simply
writing down things that you're grateful for every day helps
improve mood, supports the Gutbrain connection.
I love EFT tapping or emotional freedom technique.
I will link to the tapping solution app.
I have a promo code for community.
I'll put that in the show notes and gentle movement.
So things like walking or yoga or cycling can help as well.
(18:36):
So really our Gruppring connection is a super important
consideration if you're really looking to support your gut
health. So we can't avoid stress
entirely like I mentioned, but really managing those acute
stressors before it turns into chronic stress and helping your
body to, you know, recover from stressful events and be more
resilient is extremely important.
(18:58):
So I hope that answered your question.
I will link some relevant articles below.
And yeah, that was that was really helpful and it's a really
good one to talk about in the context of IBS.
That's a wrap for today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening and being a part of our
(19:18):
community here. If the Gut Fit Nutrition podcast
is giving you value, helped yourdigestion and fitness, made you
rethink how you approach your gut health, consider leaving a
review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you're getting your
podcasts. If you have questions for my
listener Q&A episodes, you can submit them as a comment on this
episode or send me an e-mail at lee@leemorado.com.
(19:41):
For more digestible IBS gut health and fitness tips, be sure
to follow me on Instagram at LeeMorado under score Rd. and to
apply for coaching, shop the resource suite or grab a
freebie, visit getfitnutrition.com.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll be in touch soon.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.