Whether you’re stepping on stage to give a speech or taking to the field for a championship game, you may feel a “lump” in your stomach when you’re nervous. Stress and anxiety can also cause nausea, painful bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.
This phenomenon is often referred to as a “nervous stomach,” but what exactly causes it?
Stomach tension is caused by the following close relationships: nervous system and the digestive system, melissa hunta clinical psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania told Live Science in an email.
“From the earliest stages of embryonic development, the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract are all tightly connected to each other,” she says. “Millions of neurons transmit information From the gut back to the brain, the same number of neurons send signals back to the gut. ” This link is often referred to as the gut-brain axis.
Related: Gut-brain axis: Its mechanism and relationship to mental health
The neurons, or nerve cells, that line the digestive tract make up the enteric nervous system. These are part of the “autonomic” nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion. For example, when food enters the intestine, enteric neurons cause muscle cells to contract, pushing the food into the intestine. harvard health.
The autonomic nervous system is divided into two systems: parasympathetic and sympathetic. Each of these systems “Rest and digest.” and “Fight or flight?” Systems balance each other. In general, the parasympathetic nervous system relaxes the body, while the sympathetic nervous system strengthens the response to danger.
“Digestion is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system,” Hunt says. “When you feel stressed, your sympathetic nervous system is activated and your parasympathetic nervous system is inhibited.” When this happens, your body releases stress-related hormones such as cortisol, which suppresses digestion. in the stomach and small intestine; while in fact other hormones stimulate the large intestine.
“So instead of entering the calm state associated with rest and digestion, the stomach and intestines can suddenly spasm or contract as a person prepares to fight or flee,” Hunt said. Stated.
Just as stress can cause stomach tension, frequent gastrointestinal (GI) issues can also cause stress, notes Harvard Health.
Additionally, stress can increase the frequency and severity of symptoms.Disorders of gut-brain interaction,” or DGBI. This includes conditions such as: irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes various symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation for unknown reasons, functional dyspepsiaabdominal pain that occurs during or after meals for unknown reasons.
DGBI is thought to be characterized by a persistent disturbance in communication between the gut and the brain. Over time, Hunt said, people can become anxious and hyper-vigilant about their gastrointestinal symptoms.
“This causes visceral hypersensitivity, which becomes a vicious feedback loop of anxiety arousal, scanning the body for unpleasant sensations, catastrophizing, amplifying those sensations, increasing anxiety, and “It can lead to increased digestive discomfort and pain,” she said.
That’s why behavioral therapy is sometimes included in treatment plans for patients with DGBI, according to Harvard Health.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice.
