Raise your hand if you are currently a member of the “𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴” club? I can’t imagine a single person who isn’t!! Hell I may have been the president of the club at one time! But seriously, chronic stress has a direct impact on the health of our gut so it’s imperative that we implement daily practices that are key in lowering our stress levels.
When we are in a state of acute or chronic stress we are in that sympathetic or 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘖𝘳-𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 mode that so often we talk about. This fires up our adrenals releasing excess cortisol but it also disrupts the communication through our Gut-Brain Axis, the HPA Axis-𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴-𝘗𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺-𝘈𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭 – and so much more. This directly creates an imbalance in hormones and neurotransmitters which are essential for our autonomic function as well as our 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘵 & 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 state.
Let’s look at how chronic stress directly affects the health of our gut and symptoms we may be experiencing:
𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘮𝘦 – chronic stress disrupts our gut environment including trillions of microbes as well as our gut lining. This can deplete us of proper nutrient absorbing as well as fighting off potential pathogens.
𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘺 𝘎𝘶𝘵 – with chronic stress we directly affect the tight junctions of our gut lining allowing food particles or endotoxins to pass through and into our blood stream.
𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 & 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 – As a direct result of dysbiosis or the imbalance of our gut microbiota we can experience food sensitivities and even allergies.
𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘹, 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘥 & 𝘐𝘉𝘚 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴 – with decreased function of the digestion process we can experience an increase in symptoms from reflux, Gerd and even IBS. We know that with chronic stress we lack the diversity in microbes coupled with a lack in gut motility as well as a healthy gut lining.
𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 & 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵 – We talk about leaky gut constantly and how it causes a rise in chronic inflammation and we know that with chronic inflammation we can see an increase in belly fat as due to increased cortisol levels.
Dealing With Chronic Stress
Ooooook so now what?!! Now we dive deep into self care and proper nutrition so that we can reduce chronic stress and start to reverse damage and restore functions such as digestion, adrenal function as well as proper toxin elimination which is huge!!!
As a Gut Health Practitioner it’s always important to discuss a client’s relationship with food, their eating environment and their digestion experience. When it comes to practices that have a positive impact on everything from digestion to overall health I work with clients on meditation, grounding, gratitude as well as energy.
Remember “𝘏𝘌𝘈𝘓𝘛𝘏” is so much more that the foods we eat. We have to look at lifestyle, sleep, hydration, stress, emotions and more. The key is to take it one day at a time and remember that you are worth it and optimal health is yours. Time to own it!!
Cheers to your best life!
Jennifer
Checking out one of my favorite practices HERE for reducing stress!
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