What is the mind-gut connection?

Exclusive Member Benefit

Our Healthy Balance magazine!
Find all editions in the app –tap 'More'.
(Free with membership)

Read now

There's a strong link between our minds and our guts: more than many people realise! Here, we look at factors relating to our mental health that can negatively impact our gut health.

Stress

Many of us feel butterflies in our stomach when stressed, and perhaps a little nauseated – in fact, fairly common 'symptoms' of stress include stomach discomfort, bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. Not only this, but when stressed, we may change our eating habits: eating far more than we usually would, perhaps eating on the go or at a faster speed, or even choosing different, less nutrient-dense foods. All of these factors can leave us with some digestive distress.

Anxiety

When we're anxious, our bodies release certain chemicals and hormones. These can then enter our digestive systems, affecting the microorganisms that exist in our guts to help digestion. This imbalance can cause issues such as indigestion, stomach upsets, and constipation.

Sleep deprivation

Lack of sleep is a problem for many of us in the digital age: it's all too easy to stay up scrolling social media, or watching videos on our phones and tablets. But not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night could be affecting our gut health: when you are sleep deprived, stress hormone levels can increase. This, in turn, could lead to intenstinal permeability issues, otherwise known as 'leaky gut'. This can cause bloating, inflammation and even sensitivities to certain foods.

Making positive changes

Stress, anxiety and poor sleep are all things that us as humans will struggle with from time to time – but they don't have to totally derail your efforts at a healthy gut. The trick is to identify what your personal triggers are, and try to have contingent plans in place for when these arise.

For example, if you know you tend to eat junk food when stressed, stock up your cupboards with healthy snacks to provide that feeling of comfort without masses of calories, sugar or salt. If you've got into the habit of staying up late scrolling your phone every night, try getting into reading instead, or introducing a no phones rule in your bedroom. If you're an anxious person, arm yourself with breathing or mindfulness exercises to help bring your anxiety levels down before they start to affect your gut.