I was transported back to the height of my IBS earlier this week after a conversation with a fabulous lady I’m working with this week

We were discussing a bad flare up she had struggled with a few days before, reflecting on her food diary to see if we could pinpoint the cause

As she continued to discuss her week, she mentioned that there some big changes coming at work which she had been worrying about. On top of the usual life things!

When we looked at the day of the flare up, we noticed that this happened the same day as she received this news, so we certainly had a correlation!

She went on to say that she definitely notices her digestion is worse during times of stress and since, we’ve been exploring stress management tools which have made a difference so far. 

This reminded me of my own experiences, when I was in the height of my irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) about 10 years ago (read more here)

Despite cutting out all the foods, nothing seemed to get rid of my constant bloating

And believe me when I say I tried it all…

Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, low carb, no carb, low fat, juice cleanses, no bread, low FODMAP… and no joy.

It’s now in hindsight that I had identified the true cause. 

As a full time nutrition student in lectures Monday to Friday

Working often mid week, Friday evenings and weekends

Living abroad for the first time and maintaining a long distance relationship 

I guess you could say things were a bit busy! 

Adding restrictive diets, careful meal planning and avoiding the wrong thing when eating out added a whole new level of stress on top of all else that was going on. 

Stress is something that comes up in some shape or form with pretty much every person I work with. 

Be that the stress of high powered jobs, family commitments and or trying to navigate restrictive diets. 

But, how exactly does stress contribute to digestive issues? 

Let’s start with the gut-brain axis… 

The gut-brain axis is a fancy term for the way in which our gut and our brain communicate with each other. I like to think of the gut-brain axis like a telephone line, where the gut and the brain can pick up the phone for a chat!

For example, the brain may pick up the phone to tell the gut that food is coming and to get ready. In response, the gut will prepare for the incoming meal by ‘making space’ (hello toilet!), initiating the production of digestive juices, enzymes and stomach acid.

Once we have had enough, the gut will then call the brain back to let it know we are full and to stop eating. This is a very simplified explanation of how these two major organs communicate, which is going on all the time in the background.

Our brain can also communicate emotions through this telephone line. 

Have you ever felt those butterflies when you feel excited for something?

That pitt in your stomach when you are scared (like climbing to the top of a roller coaster!)
Or that knott of anxiety in your belly when you’re worried about something?

These are all great examples of the gut brain axis in action!

Most people I’ve worked with are aware that they feel it in their belly when they are stressed, which can be so helpful in using the right tools to support this root of their digestive issue.

But how exactly does stress cause digestive issues?

The fight or flight or ‘stress response’ is an evolutionary response to a perceived threat to our life.

This primal response was really important when we lived as cave people long, long ago as it helped us to get out of danger and increase our chances of survival.

When a threat is identified by our brain, say, a bear for example, a rapid biological response takes place. 
A cascade of hormones are released, including cortisol and adrenaline, which triggers an increase in heart and breathing rate, alertness and strength.

Blood flow is directed away from the digestive system, towards the working muscles and all energy is preserved for fighting the bear or fleeing the situation.

In this moment, digestion is not a priority and if you imagine like this function is powered off, to save energy for survival. 

In those days, this response would be short lived and once we are back to safety, the stress response would be halted and all functions would return back to normal.

Now, while it’s not common to be faced by a bear these days, this bear can show up in many forms, often with more than one bear coming at us at one time.

Work, family, finances, relationships, health, world issues… even an unexpected phone call can be enough to trigger someone’s fight or flight response. 

With many stressors coming at us, it can be really tricky to break that stress response. Meaning we may find ourselves in this chronic state of fight or flight. 

As this is an energy expensive process, it can leave us with sugar cravings, lethargy, crankiness and of course digestive issues.

For some, this might look like chronic constipation as their gut motility may slow down in the face of stress.

For others, gut motility may increase, causing more urgency and loose stools.

Similarly, some may experience alternating bowel habits and this can also change depending on the stressor.

Now you might be saying ‘but, I don’t feel stressed?’

Fair enough, but what does stress feel like to you? Because stress doesn’t have to feel like pulling your hair out. It can look like: 

• Chronic digestive issues 
• Increased or decreased hunger
• Never taking breaks or a day off
• Not being able to walk slowly 
• Having to be constantly busy 
• Missing meals 
• Sugar cravings 
• Constant tiredness 
• Insomnia
• Oversleeping
• Menstrual irregularities
• Irritability or snappiness 
• Skin issues like acne breakouts, rosacea or psoriasis
• Muscle pain and stiffness 
• Doom scrolling on social media

And very often, we can get so used to being stressed that this becomes our norm

So we don’t feel any different. Despite struggling with these physical signals that we become used to.

But how do I stop the stress?

Stress is something we will all face and cannot completely avoid. It is a primal response, so we don’t have full control over it or our environment.

What we can do is practice tools to help us to manage that stress better. So it takes less of a toll on our bodies and how we feel. These tools help us to cope better with stress too. 

A good place to start is to think of all the things you enjoy doing: outdoor time, arts and crafts, spending time with loved ones, playing sport… 

Make your list and then ask yourself: how often am I making space for these activities?

Because it’s these things that help us to switch off, away from the stress of life.

These are all various forms of mindfulness, which is described as paying attention to something in a particular way, non-judgmentally.

Basically, our full attention is focused on the present moment which takes our nervous system out of that fight or flight state, breaking the stress response.

You’d be surprised how these small actions can make a big difference to not only your digestion, but how you feel day to day.

If you’d like to schedule out some time for you, I have something coming over the coming weeks.

Starting on Wednesday 15th November, yoga for everybody is back for 4 weeks, to set us up well for the festive period.

Classes take place in Ignite Health and Fitness Kilbarrack from 7.30-8.30pm on Wednesday November 15th, 22nd, 29th and 6th December.

Drop in classes are €15 or get all four for €50 here.

Click here to book your place.

A friend of mine recently share the quote ‘put your oxygen mask on first’ which can be a friendly reminder to all of us to make that time for ourselves before running around after everyone else.

Sarah xx