Locations:
Search IconSearch
December 18, 2020/Health Conditions/Digestive

Is Your Stomach Churning? You May Have ‘Gut Stress’

Your stress response can wreck havoc on your guts

man with stomach pain

If you’re experiencing bloating, pain or constipation, chances are you’re feeling stress — either as a cause, a result, or both.

Advertisement

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

It’s understandable. Maybe of us are experiencing an unprecedented amount of stress right now. With coronavirus causing isolation, job losses and more, it’s difficult to know how to process all of the stress.

We all process stress differently. However stress affects you, internalizing it can lead to chronic health problems like heart disease, hypertension, obesity and depression, says wellness coach and internal medicine specialist Michael Roizen, MD.

He says learning to change your response to stressful events can dramatically improve your health and well-being.

What happens when you’re stressed out

  • Your gut bacteria changes. Bad bacteria start to flourish, and good bacteria begin to die off. This changes the way foods you eat are digested.
  • Your gut gets leakier. When you eat processed foods, some of the molecules escape from your intestine into your immune-processing pathways, increasing inflammation and other problems.
  • Your mood changes. Your gut produces even more of the mood-lifting chemical serotonin than your brain. But stress cuts its production, leaving you feeling uneasy and at risk of depression.
  • Your “fight, flight or freeze” switch stays on. Diverting all your energy to your muscles helped in prehistoric times: When you saw the woolly mammoth coming, you could quickly run away, hit him on the nose and knock him out, or play dead. After the mammoth moved on, you could relax. Chronic stress keeps your “emergency button” on all the time. Your digestion remains altered, causing bloating, cramps, diarrhea and constipation.

Advertisement

How to develop a new stress response

“Many of us respond to stress in a dysfunctional way,” Dr. Roizen notes. “We hope the problem, or stressor, will go away, then treat ourselves to ice cream, simple sugars and carbs, or red meat,” he says. But sweet foods or foods with lecithin, cholines and carnitine will change good gut bacteria to bad, increasing your gut distress and causing a vicious cycle response, he says.

Or maybe you deal with stress in other dysfunctional ways, like shopping, drinking or gambling in order to soothe yourself. Then you have a bigger stress response afterward.

“Handling stress in a functional way begins with the awareness that you’re under stress. Then you can deal with stress in a few different ways,” says Dr. Roizen.

1. Solve the problem

If financial problems are stressing you out, you can set up a budget that helps you make ends meet. Or you can cut up that problem credit card. Then arrange to have your 401K contribution auto-deducted from your paycheck.

If a relationship is difficult but necessary, figure out how to ease the tension. Seek counseling if necessary, for a marriage or family member. Or if it’s a coworker, maybe learn ways to go along with a joke (laughter is a great stress-reliever). Or include a third colleague or friend in your encounters. If the relationship is personal, find a passion you both share to enjoy.

2. Refocus your mind

When a stressful situation is unavoidable (and many of them are), you can breathe deeply or meditate through it.

For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic, rather than getting mad, focus your attention on deep breathing in your car. Or you can work out, take a bath, enjoy a walk or do some gardening to calm down. Whatever works for you.

3. Eliminate the stressor

If Uncle Joe always drives you crazy at Thanksgiving or another holiday, make holiday plans with good friends instead, or just avoid Uncle Joe. If you’ve overcommitted yourself to volunteering or to social activities, try cutting back.

The bottom line

Your stress response can wreck havoc on your guts. But if you learn to reframe your responses to stress, it can have a dramatic impact on your health.

“Challenges are part of life,” says Dr. Roizen. “And life’s challenges keep you stimulated, engaged and passionate about who you are and what you do.”

It’s not about living stress-free. It’s about changing your response to stressful situations.

Advertisement

Learn more about our editorial process.

Related Articles

Person journaling at desk in sunny home office, with laptop, smartphone and healthy fruits and nuts on desk
December 30, 2024/Digestive
Bloating Remedies: 6 Quick Fixes and 7 Longer-Term Strategies

Peppermint oil, exercise and a belly massage can help, but for ongoing symptoms, you may need to talk to a healthcare provider

Person in scrubs with hands folded, across from person at desk
December 13, 2024/Cancer Care & Prevention
Stomach Cancer: Symptom Management for Advanced Cases

Prioritizing nutrition and physical activity are key to staying strong and energized

Healthcare provider discussing stomach cancer with patient, with oversized gastric cancer ribbon in background
December 12, 2024/Cancer Care & Prevention
Life With Advanced Stomach Cancer: What Changes

Your relationships with food, physical fitness, social interactions and advance planning desires may need to be modified

Bowl of oatmeal, topped with fried egg and avocado, with small bowl of seeds on table
December 10, 2024/Cancer Care & Prevention
Foods To Eat and Avoid When You Have Advanced Gastric Cancer

Opt for soft foods or liquids that are rich in protein, calories and vitamins

Person talking with healthcare provider in office
December 9, 2024/Cancer Care & Prevention
Where and How Stomach Cancer Spreads

Stomach cancer tends to spread to the lymphatic system and liver before moving to other areas

Person receiving cancer infusion therapy sitting in chair, head wrapped in scarf, gazing out window
December 6, 2024/Cancer Care & Prevention
What To Expect With Infusion Treatments for Gastric Cancer

Delivered through an IV, options can include chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy, or a combination

Two grown sons, one on each side of mother, all holding hands
December 4, 2024/Cancer Care & Prevention
Stomach Cancer: Is There an Inherited Risk?

A small percentage of gastric cancer is genetic

Person sitting on couch with arms around stomach, grimacing
November 13, 2024/Digestive
Is My Stomach Pain IBS? Here’s How To Know

Irritable bowel syndrome has many signs, but lower abdominal pain, constipation and swelling may mean you should see a healthcare provider

Trending Topics

Person in bed sleeping on their side, covers off
Breathing Problems? Try These Sleep Positions

If you’re feeling short of breath, sleep can be tough — propping yourself up or sleeping on your side may help

A couple looking at skyline, with one person slightly behind the other, head bent down
What Is Anxious Attachment Style — and Do You Have It?

If you fear the unknown or find yourself needing reassurance often, you may identify with this attachment style

Glasses and bottle of yellow-colored prebiotic soda, with mint, lemon and ginger garnish
Are Prebiotic Sodas Good for You?

If you’re looking to boost your gut health, it’s better to get fiber from whole foods

Ad