6. Stress and Anxiety: The Emotional Underbelly of GERD
You might not connect your emotional well-being to the acid levels in your stomach, but the link is stronger than you think. Stress doesn’t just mess with your mind; it can throw your digestive system into chaos, too. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol that can ramp up the production of stomach acid.
How does stress manage to infiltrate your digestive system, you ask? It comes down to the gut-brain axis, a term that describes the two-way communication between your nervous system and digestive tract. The signals your brain sends can affect gut function and vice versa, making your stomach a victim of your emotional state.
You’ve probably heard of stress eating, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Stress can mess with your gut motility, slowing down the emptying of your stomach, or speeding it up. Either way, this altered motility can exacerbate GERD symptoms. It’s a domino effect: stress affects gut motility, which in turn affects the behavior of your lower esophageal sphincter.
While you may not be able to eliminate stress entirely, simple practices like deep breathing, yoga, or even a short walk outside can be surprisingly effective at reducing symptoms. These exercises won’t just put your mind at ease; they’ll relax your gut, too.
Stress isn’t just in your head—it manifests physically in your gut. And while stress might be an inevitable part of life, surrendering to its impact on your digestive health doesn’t have to be. Don’t overlook the emotional aspects of GERD; acknowledging the link between your mind and gut is the first step toward comprehensive symptom relief. (6)
