Stress has always been an enemy of the gut. Mental, emotional and physiological strain in addition to physical pain are real stresses that affects your body.
When the stress is acute, it is less hard on your body because it comes and goes, for example if you have a job interview to attend, you may be stressed about it but at the end of the interview, the stress goes away, that type of stress is acute.
When the stress is ongoing and ongoing with no end in sight, it becomes chronic, this is harder on your body.
As it relates to your gut, stress increases your cortisol levels, and cortisol makes your gut leakier (it increases gut permeability) and this usually causes inflammation throughout your body. When the stress is ongoing, it creates a cycle of increased cortisol followed by more leaking and inflammation with no end in sight. This can lead to sickness and disease. Studies have shown the chronic inflammation is at the root cause of most chronic diseases.
Stress slows down digestion time, which helps the bad bacteria and harms the good bacteria. It also reduces the proper absorption of nutrients and minerals in the food you eat, this can mess up your metabolism and cause you to gain weight.
It may take time and effort, but reversing the damage from stress is entirely possible. You can reverse the negative effects of stress.
The goal is to get free of whatever is causing the stress. Toxic emotions, unresolved emotional trauma, unforgiveness, pain of deceit, betrayal, anger are some of the negative emotions that can cause stress on the body and negatively affect the gut. Being too busy with too many obligations can also cause a lot of stress.
Here are 5 tips that can help with managing stress
· Prayer/meditation
· Exercise
· Spend time outdoors in nature
· Healthy eating
· Gratitude
The Bottom Line
It is important to deal with the stressors for the sake of good gut health. The stronger and healthier your gut is, the better you can handle stress. When you have a healthy gut stress makes less of a negative impact on your gut and your body.
The bottom line with stress is twofold: remove the stressor if you can, but always work to strengthen your gut. Getting your gut as healthy as possible is often the best way to cope with stress. A strong gut is your defence.
If you need any support with your gut health, book your complimentary strategy call.
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