Better gut health = better mental health
Most people don’t know that there is a connection between their gut and their mental health. IBS and Anxiety tend to go hand in hand but a lot of people don’t realize that the two are correlated.
In this week’s blog, let’s talk about why they’re so connected and discuss some simple things you can do to support your gut health, and in turn, support your mental health.
First, how is gut health and mental health connected?
You’ve heard me say it a lot, but this is an important reality to understand: Your nervous system cannot reason. It doesn’t know why you’re stressed, it only knows that you are. And when you’re stressed, the nervous system follows a certain protocol in order to protect you.
One of the things the nervous system does is either slow your digestion way down, or cause it all to empty out.
Have you ever experienced nervous stomach? You’re about to get on a plane, or go to the dentist, or do something that makes you have a little anxiety? How was your digestion that day? Did you have to make multiple visits to the bathroom?
Your nervous system does that on purpose. It’s literally trying to lighten your load so you can face whatever tiger is around the corner.
Or, maybe you’ve had the opposite experience. You’re feeling anxious and suddenly you’re all stopped up. For days leading up to the event you can’t go to the bathroom or when you do it’s tiny pellets. This happens because your nervous system is saying, “It’s too dangerous to stop what you’re doing and have a bowel movement; you need to focus on getting away from this threat.”
When either of these things happen in the short term, it’s mostly just inconvenient. But when this is what your digestive system is doing on the daily, then it creates major problems.
Let’s take a deeper look at both of these scenarios and what happens when they continue long term. Sorry, but we’re going to talk a lot about poop today. But it’s important, so stick with me!
The effects of constant bowel movements/loose stools:
If your nervous system response tends to lean toward Flight mode, then this might be an issue for you. But having over active bowels leads to a lot of other problems:
Nutrient malabsorption – When your digestion is moving too quickly, it can prevent you from absorbing nutrients from your food, which can lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals (like B12, magnesium, and fat-soluble vitamins).
Dehydration & electrolyte imbalance – If you’ve ever had the stomach flu then you know how important it is to drink a lot of water and take extra electrolytes. But when your bowels tend toward loose stools all the time, then this becomes a daily issue. When your electrolytes are imbalanced it can cause fatigue, dizziness, brain fog, and muscle weakness.
Chronic inflammation – Inflammation increases in general when you’re stressed, but the effects on the gut are some of the most impactful. This inflammation weakens the gut lining, which leads to leaky gut and increased food sensitivities. If you have any food sensitives at all, then I can almost guarantee that you have gut lining permeability issues.
Weakened immune system – Since 70-80% of the immune system is in the gut, chronic diarrhea can make the body more susceptible to illness because you’re weakening the entire chain of how the gut is meant to function.
Hormonal imbalances – Poor gut health can disrupt cortisol, serotonin, and other hormone levels. If you’re not properly digesting your food because it’s moving through too quickly, then your microbiome isn’t getting the food it needs to function. It’s the microbiome that is helping to create so many of your hormones and feel good neurotransmitters!
Increased anxiety & depression – This is the loop that we can easily get stuck in. We’re stressed about something external, which effects our internal system. But then the distress in our internal system, or more specifically our gut, then triggers that same stress response. When our gut isn’t happy it impacts our mood and stress resilience.
Increased risk of IBS & other GI disorders – Long-term gut dysfunction can worsen or trigger conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with a GI disorder; addressing your stress response is a huge part of healing and could even be the actual cause.
The effects of constipation:
I see this with people who are stuck in freeze mode. This was me. I struggled with constipation for years, but the effects are more than just feeling uncomfortable:
Bloating & discomfort – When you’re stressed, your stomach is not creating enough stomach acid to properly digest your food. This leads to indigestion and bloating after meals. A lot of people think that Acid Reflux is from too much stomach acid, but the reality is that its often from too low stomach acid when you first eat. When you don’t have enough stomach acid to break the food down, your food sits in your stomach longer than it should, which causes a dump of excess stomach acid and that’s when you notice the issue. A lot of bloating happens because the undigested food sits in one spot for too long and begins to ferment.
Leaky gut – When this fermentation is happening and undigested food is sitting in one spot for too long, it wears down your gut lining and leads to increased permeability. Leaky Gut is often why you have food sensitivities. Food molecules are able to enter the blood stream and our immune system launches an attack. Then every time we eat that food, our immune system treats it as an intruder. Leaky Gut is often at the root of auto-immune conditions.
Toxin reabsorption – Your small intestine is largely focused on breaking down your food in order to absorb nutrients, but your large intestine is mostly focused on emptying your body of it’s waste. But it’s not just food waste, your colon is also one of your major detox organs, so it’s where a lot of our metabolic waste goes too. When we’re constipated, waste sits in the colon longer, allowing toxins and hormones (like excess estrogen) to reabsorb into the body.
Increased risk of SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) – When our digestion is sluggish, it creates an environment where opportunistic bacteria and viruses can take over. SIBO is more common than people realize and can create a lot of digestive issues.
Hemorrhoids & anal fissures – When you’re constipated, it often means you need to strain to fully eliminate your waste. Straining can lead to some painful conditions.
Sluggish metabolism & fatigue – A slow digestive system can make people feel sluggish overall. Which makes sense, if you’re not fully absorbing the nutrients out of your food, then your cells aren’t getting what they need to function optimally.
Increased risk of diverticulosis – Over time, constipation can lead to pouches forming in the colon lining, which can become inflamed.
Higher stress levels – When digestion is backed up, it can increase cortisol and contribute to a state of chronic stress. It’s just more of that feedback loop.
How to support your gut when you’re stressed:
Maybe you can’t control all of the stressors in your life, but you can control how you support your body through it. Here are a few of my favorite things to start doing to ensure healthy digestion, which in turns supports a healthy mind!
Slow down before meals – Before you eat, wash your hands and tune into your senses. Notice how the water feels on your hands, the way the soap smells, the sound of the water, the way it looks as the soap bubbles. This engages your parasympathetic nervous system and helps you to relax your body.
Slow down during meals – Avoid eating on the go or while you’re distracted. Food is meant to be enjoyed, give yourself permission to enjoy it!
Take time to smell your food – The engages the cephalic phase of digestion and activates salivary glands. Saliva is the first part of digestion. It’s contains properties to start the breaking down process. Our sense of smell has a direct impact on our brain. When you smell your food, you’re telling your brain what’s coming and it responds by preparing your body for digestion by increasing saliva, stomach acid, etc. This process makes up about 20% of your gastric acid secretion before food even enters your mouth!
Breathe before eating – A few deep belly breaths help shift into the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state.
Chew food thoroughly – Aim for at least 20-30 chews per bite to ease digestion. Make your food into a paste before you swallow! I remember a Chinese Medicine Doctor telling me years ago that he could solve almost all digestive issues if people would just chew their food more.
Take a digestive enzyme supplement – When you’re stressed, your gut needs all the help it can get! This is an easy way to support the breakdown of your food and help you to absorb everything you’re eating. I’ve seen amazing results from people just adding this in to their daily regime. Here’s the one I use: https://amare.com/g10/1591185/p/di
Drink apple cider vinegar before meals – This can help to stimulate stomach acid production. If you struggle to drink it on it’s own, add a little lemon and honey and water.
Space out your eating – You want to give the digestion system time to fully move through what it’s working on before adding to it’s load. Wait at least 3-4 hours in between meals and snacking for optimal digestion.
Stay hydrated – Water is crucial for proper digestion and motility. EXCEPT, you don’t want to drink too much water while eating. If you commonly have indigestion, try waiting to drink water at least 20 minutes before and after meals.
Eat fiber-rich foods – Fiber is known for helping everything move through you. And most people don’t eat nearly enough fiber rich foods! Fiber is also one of your microbiome’s favorite food sources. Here are a few to start adding into your daily diet: Berries (raspberries, blackberries), apples (with skin), pears, bananas, broccoli, carrots, brussels sprouts, leafy greens (spinach, kale), lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, oats, quinoa, brown rice, chia seeds, flaxseeds, almonds, walnuts, sweet potatoes (with skin), avocado. I also love using Whole Psyllium Husk to keep things moving! Get it here: https://amzn.to/4aLyQG2
Engage in light movement after meals – Walking helps digestion and motility. Going for a short 10 minute walk after meals can make a massive difference! I’ve heard these called Fart Walks, because they help so much with digestion!!
Massage your abdomen – Can stimulate the vagus nerve and improve gut motility. Add some lotion, and gently massage in large and small clockwise circles. Add some calming essential oils and this can help a ton! Ginger, Peppermint, and Fennel are great options!
Practice stress management techniques – Every time you’re intentional with calming your body down you’re impacting your digestion! But don’t just chase these symptoms, by rewiring your nervous system you can completely change your reactions. This is exactly what I teach you to do in my online course Regulate + Thrive. Check it out here: https://www.rootandbloomholistics.com/wellness-course
Use a Gut-Brain Axis supplement – When you can support your gut and support your nervous system all around it’s just a win-win! This is why I drink Happy Juice everyday. My gut has never been this healthy my entire life, it’s helped me in so many ways, but I don’t stress about my gut health anymore. The bloating after meals is gone, the constipation is gone, digestion just isn’t a stressor anymore. It’s even had a huge impact on my sugar cravings! It even won Probiotic of the year in 2024. It’s my favorite easy button way for people to get started because it gives you the bandwidth to do all the things. Pick your flavors and get $10 off here: https://amare.com/g10/1591185/p/hjp Right now you can grab a 3 day gut reset for free too! Just add code REBOOT.
Nourishing your gut is everything! It might just be the missing piece in order for you to finally heal and break free of the survival mode loop so many people get stuck in.
Start by just adding in one of these tips to support your digestion. Every small step is a win for your overall health!
