How Stress Affects Digestion and What You Can Do About It

Here’s what to know about that link — and what you can do to ease digestive discomfort brought on by stress.

The Relationship Between Stress and Digestion

Stress is known to have the ability to affect gut health, says Garth Swanson M.D., board-certified gastroenterologist, professor, and division director of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

When you’re stressed, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode and the body slows down certain functions, including digestion. It does this to redirect energy toward handling the perceived threat. When the process of digestion is disrupted, you may experience GI symptoms.

“The gut is the second brain of the body,” Swanson says. The gut uses neurotransmitters to communicate with your brain, so “your GI tract may signal to you that you’re under increased stress,” he notes.

Chronic stress can increase inflammation in the body and gut and further trigger GI symptoms, Swanson says.

The relationship between stress and digestion goes in the other direction, too; not only can stress lead to stomach issues, but having stomach issues can lead to more stress. In that way, there can be a snowball effect, worsening symptoms.

Signs Stress May Be Impacting Your Gut

Stress can bring on various symptoms, from an increased heart rate to changes in your breathing pattern. Stress can also temporarily affect your gut, contributing to symptoms such as:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Changes in appetite
• Constipation
• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Gas
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Stress can even have long-term effects on the gut and worsen certain GI disorders, including:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Stomach ulcers

When to Call Your Doctor

Once the stressor goes away — for example, your presentation is over and went well, or you arrive at your destination safely on the plane — any stress-related digestive symptoms should resolve, Swanson says. In those cases, there’s typically no reason to see a doctor.

You should see a doctor if your GI symptoms become chronic (long-lasting) and are not clearly associated with a single stressful event, Swanson says.

Your doctor may want to go over your medical history and do further testing for GI disorders that may be contributing to prolonged digestive symptoms, like IBS, IBD, GERD, or ulcers, Cross says.

5 Tips for Managing Stress

“Being able to deal and cope with stress is very important for many aspects of our health, including GI health,” Swanson says. “Learning proper coping mechanisms and having good outlets for your stress is important.” Start with these strategies.

1. Move Your Body Regularly

Staying active helps promote healthy digestion and it helps alleviate stress. Aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, such as walking or swimming — that’s half an hour, five times per week.

2. Breathe Deeply

A deep breathing technique called diaphragmatic breathing or "belly breathing,” can help manage stress and the pressure it puts on the digestive system. Studies suggest it can help a range of digestive issues, including constipation, GERD, and diarrhea.

To try it, sit comfortably, resting one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Inhale through your nose for four seconds, allowing your abdomen to expand. The hand on your belly should move, and the hand on your chest should stay still. Exhale through your mouth. Continue breathing like this for around five minutes up to 15 minutes.

3. Try Meditation

A meditation practice involves focusing your mind on an object, activity, or thought to help you achieve a state of calm and to promote well‑being. Research suggests that practicing a type of meditation known as deep meditation may help improve digestion by decreasing the stress response, and in turn, regulating the gut microbiome

4. Ask Your Doctor About Medication

Medication may help, even with temporary digestive symptoms. Ask your doctor which medications might be best for you. For example, Cross says, “If you’re having diarrhea, we can use an anti-diarrheal like Imodium or prescription strength drugs like Lomotil.”

5. Consider Seeing a Therapist

Psychotherapy can be helpful for people who need effective stress-management techniques or who have other mental health concerns. “If you’re also struggling with symptoms of panic or depression, having a therapist or psychiatric professional as part of your care team can have a huge beneficial impact,” Swanson says.

In fact, one study found that practicing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helped improve GI symptoms and stress levels in people with IBS.

“How people manage their stress is going to vary from person to person,” says Cross. Experiment with these and other stress-management strategies to find what works best for you.