The Invisible Impact of The Microbiome on Stress

For as long as I can remember, I've had a "nervous stomach."

Perhaps you can relate.

If I close my eyes and recall sitting in the waiting room at the orthodontist, I can almost feel the queasy discomfort setting in. It was the same (or worse) when I stood up to sing a solo at church, or before jogging out to the pitcher's mound during a big game. 

It was also one of several debilitating and bewildering symptoms that made my first year of Medical School a living hell, *but* that's a story for another time. 

The point is that most of us readily acknowledge that stress causes digestive issues. But the flip side is also true - digestive dysfunction can create stress symptoms like anxiety, depression, fatigue, insomnia, and even pain.

In particular, imbalances in the microbiome - the microorganisms like bacteria and yeasts that live in and on our bodies - disrupt the gut-brain axis. 

Here's how:

Your "gut" or digestive tract has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system. This network of specialized nerves makes the majority of the body's serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that you may associate with depression.

As it turns out, serotonin is also involved in memory and cognition as well as mood regulation, and it plays a role in gut motility (how quickly or slowly food moves through your stomach and intestines). 

If you've got a poorly-cultivated microbiome from things like antibiotic use, too many processed foods, not enough fiber, or certain medications that change the pH of your stomach, it interferes with the enteric nervous system's production of serotonin.

AND, the increased cortisol production from all that stress can, in turn, thin the mucous layer of the intestines, which creates an even sadder microbiome. 

Meta, I know.

This unhappy microbiome also results in increased cytokine production (inflammatory mediators), decreased melatonin (made from serotonin), increased cortisol (long-term stress hormone), decreased micronutrients (like B6), and increased microglial activation (brain inflammation and damage).

We need to be kinder to our microorganisms!

Here are three things you can do to cultivate a stress-reducing microbiome:

1. Cut back on sugar - it feeds the opportunistic yeasts in the gut (like Candidia) that crowd out the beneficial bacteria.
2. Eat more fiber - and I don't mean whole-wheat bread or crackers. Go all-in on apples, garlic, onions, asparagus, and flaxseed. 
3. Avoid pH-altering medications like antacids & PPI's - often, balancing the microbiome solves stomach symptoms at the root instead of adding to them.

Happy gut bugs = Happy brain!

If you'd like to learn how to get to the root of stress (and stress-related symptoms) using Functional Medicine, sign up for your Stress Smarter Starter Kit HERE.

It's full of insights, resources, and helpful information to help stop fatigue, overwhelm, and anxiety in its tracks. And it's FREE!