Stress and the Digestive System

Stress and the Digestive System
Our moods and states of being can have a profound effect on your digestion, and overall health. Shutterstock
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You don’t need a PhD in physiology to know that stress can be hard on the stomach. We’ve all done our own experiments on the subject, intentionally or not. Remember how you felt the last time you spoke in public? Those butterflies weren’t in your head.

The impact of stress on the stomach goes far beyond indigestion, however. In recent years, doctors have uncovered a remarkably complex connection between the brain and the digestive system. The entire system is extremely sensitive to our moods. In fact, experts now see stress as a major player in a wide range of digestive problems, including irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, and heartburn.

Chris Woolston
Chris Woolston
Writer
Chris Woolston is a self-described "recovering biologist" who has enjoyed his reincarnation as a freelance science and health writer. He covers health and science topics for the journal Nature, AFAR, Knowable magazine, and the Los Angeles Times, and he recently gave a TED Talk about the pressures on young researchers at the University of Luxembourg.. He has contributed hundreds of stories to the Limehealth health and wellness library.
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