I had the pleasure of being hosted in an educational webinar to my fellow dietitians in Finland this past week. The topic was the connection between stress and irritable bowel syndrome. I had the opportunity to speak to over 50 of my peers about this subject that important and yet, significantly overlooked.
Many studies show the intimate connection between stress and our digestive system through the gut-brain axis. Many factors affect digestion, including the food we eat, but when stress levels are high, what we eat makes no difference – we will have gut trouble until we address the stress. Eating or not eating results in pain, bloating and either diarrhea or constipation. So yes, I can tell you that stress causes gut problems, likely also IBS, and it can certainly make it worse!
In this presentation that I gave to my fellow dietitians, I talked about the science behind stress and IBS. I went over the mechanisms through which stress affects the gut. For example, stress can cause inflammation in the gut, disrupt your gut microbiota and make the gut more sensitive to what’s happening within it, even to normal things, like a small amount of gas from bacterial fermentation of whole grains (which is good for us!).
I also went over different kinds of stress release techniques and the scientific evidence that exists for these different methods. Many different techniques are found to improve IBS symptoms, which leads me to believe that every one of us, with or without IBS, should have a stress release routine to follow every single day.
And this is not just for gut health. I believe it is impossible to have good health without stress management. It also doesn't have to be difficult, complex, or time-consuming. It can simply mean taking deep breaths before each meal, or questioning negative thoughts. Or it could be about practicing yoga and meditation regularly. Even taking a walk, taking care of your diet, sleeping well, drinking enough fluid, and spending time outdoors can do wonders to stress.
All my clients have experienced significant improvements in their gut issues when they have not only paid attention to their diet, but also started a daily stress release routine. For example, taking time to eat in peace instead of hurrying through each meal has made a big difference! Breathing exercises have also been a very central part of their stress release routines and my clients say they have been “life saving”.
If you are thinking “I don't have any stress”, I would suggest to question this, because everyone has some stress, and stress is not always felt on a mental level. Physical symptoms can be the only telltale signs of stress in your life. So, even if you don't feel like you're stressed out but are suffering from a lot of ailments, including gut issues, try stress release anyway because more than likely it will help you.
Furthermore, it will not only help your gut health, but your well-being overall.
Everything affects everything, so only adjusting your diet is not enough for true health. We need to look at every aspect of life to truly find the causes for our symptoms and the best solutions.
You can start by signing up to IBSwise and exploring the different stress release techniques I offer there, or visit my Instagram page to try the box breathing exercise that I have pinned to the top of the posts.
Any questions? Just comment below, or email me at [email protected].
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Anna-Kaisa
PS: I host free 15-minute stress release sessions on Thursdays, every other week. The next session is September 5. You can register here for the next session, and email me if you’d like a link to watch the recording from the last session.
PPS: I have lots of free stuff you can download! For example, you can get the free guide “5 Easy Ways to Beat the Bloat” here!