Random Thought #4: How does stress effect your stomach?
Last weekend, I had terrible abdominal pain that literally just came out of nowhere. The pain started from Friday and continued to get worse till Sunday. After a trip to the ER, it turned out the I had gastritis and it was because of stress.
The fact that stress is what caused my entire stomach lining to completely inflamed shocked me. You always think about stress affecting your mental and emotional health, but we really never think of it hurting your physical health. I was scared of how powerful stress was so I decided to look into what can stress actually do to your body.
We all know the common effects of stress: headaches, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, etc. but what are also considered common effects of stress are muscle pain, stomach problems, and chest pain. By stomach problems I don't just mean an upset stomach or something, I'm talking about stomach ulcers, gastritis, etc.
The reason why stomach problems is one of the more prevalent effects of stress is because the brain and gut are connected and are always in communication. Your gut is controlled by your central nervous system in the brain and spinal cord. The gut itself has its own network of neurons that are in the lining of your gastrointestinal system, which is also known as the enteric or intrinsic nervous system. According to some researchers, they consider the gut as a second brain because of how powerful the system of nerves in your gut is.
So when your stressed, your brain basically communicates that to your gut and then that can cause your esophagus to go into spasms, increase the acid in your stomach ( which causes indigestion), and makes you feel nauseous. Stress can also cause a decrease in blood flow and oxygen to the stomach, which could lead to cramping, inflammation, or an imbalance of gut bacteria. These sort of effects can lead to you to get peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel syndrome.
So, I'm not trying to scare you, but stress clearly is a powerful emotion that has the capability of harming your body. I feel being stressed is a normal thing at Uni, I honestly don't think I've ever heard someone say that they're not stressed. While being a little stressed is okay, constantly being stressed isn't a good thing. I wish I could take back the times I was stressing way too much over something like a physics quiz. It just isn't worth it. So, the next time you're stressing over an assignment or whatever it might be, remember it's never worth you putting yourself at risk for getting sick.
The fact that stress is what caused my entire stomach lining to completely inflamed shocked me. You always think about stress affecting your mental and emotional health, but we really never think of it hurting your physical health. I was scared of how powerful stress was so I decided to look into what can stress actually do to your body.
We all know the common effects of stress: headaches, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, etc. but what are also considered common effects of stress are muscle pain, stomach problems, and chest pain. By stomach problems I don't just mean an upset stomach or something, I'm talking about stomach ulcers, gastritis, etc.
The reason why stomach problems is one of the more prevalent effects of stress is because the brain and gut are connected and are always in communication. Your gut is controlled by your central nervous system in the brain and spinal cord. The gut itself has its own network of neurons that are in the lining of your gastrointestinal system, which is also known as the enteric or intrinsic nervous system. According to some researchers, they consider the gut as a second brain because of how powerful the system of nerves in your gut is.
So when your stressed, your brain basically communicates that to your gut and then that can cause your esophagus to go into spasms, increase the acid in your stomach ( which causes indigestion), and makes you feel nauseous. Stress can also cause a decrease in blood flow and oxygen to the stomach, which could lead to cramping, inflammation, or an imbalance of gut bacteria. These sort of effects can lead to you to get peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel syndrome.
So, I'm not trying to scare you, but stress clearly is a powerful emotion that has the capability of harming your body. I feel being stressed is a normal thing at Uni, I honestly don't think I've ever heard someone say that they're not stressed. While being a little stressed is okay, constantly being stressed isn't a good thing. I wish I could take back the times I was stressing way too much over something like a physics quiz. It just isn't worth it. So, the next time you're stressing over an assignment or whatever it might be, remember it's never worth you putting yourself at risk for getting sick.
I find it so crazy that the human body can produce powerful reactions from our mental health. I always hear stories about how mental strain puts physical strain on the body, but I never expected it to be prevalent in our age. Your blog post is such a wake up call. I find myself stressed a lot too, but I never thought about the effects it could have if I pushed it over the edge.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better. You send an important message that we all need to take a break and relax from time to time.
I'm really sorry this happened to you! I think it's so important to prioritize mental/physical health over academics and other things, but oftentimes we lose that balance. Stress is such an ingrained part of Uni culture that we forget it can be really harmful. This post is a good reminder to take a step back and focus on what's actually important- ourselves and our health.
ReplyDeleteI find it extremely fascinating how powerful the human brain is. You'd think that like your mental health, your emotions, or your thoughts wouldn't have any effect on your physical body but it does. Like Dr. Majerus mentioned in class, losses that bring great sadness can cause your body to become sick. Today, you often see people advocating eating healthy or exercising daily, but maybe we should start giving just as much, if not more, attention to mental health.
ReplyDeleteThe human brain is quite the muscle! Moreso than stomach issues. I've felt physical shoulder pain when I'm stressed because that area between the shoulder and neck gets incredibly tight. Long story short, take care of yourself. If you need to give yourself a back massage, go ahead and do it. You'll thank yourself later on.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I think a lot of people are stressed so this blog post is very relevant. Recently, I've been able to suppress a lot of my stress. I know that a lot of stress or long-term stress is not good for my health, so I try to stay calm and collected. IYour blog post revealed some interesting connections between stress and physical health and I will definitely keep them in mind in the future!
ReplyDeleteThat is a really interesting affect of stress. I've noticed in the past that times where I'm more stressed I tend to get sick more often and I'm never sure if it's because of the stress itself or just because I'm sleeping less and working more. It makes sense though because mental and physical health are so tied that our bodies can be affected physically by how we are feeling. I hope you feel better!
ReplyDeleteI never knew stress was such a powerful emotion. I don't know if I am ever actually stressed, I prefer the term overwhelmed, but hey, I'm not big on all the emotional stuff! I don't get sick often, but there is always that one time in every year where I get sick and am out for about 2-3 days. I wonder if it is because my emotional health is a little off at that time. Thank you for enlightening me on the importance of being stress free and just enjoying life. I just sounded like my dad!
ReplyDeleteWow! I knew that stress could cause vague stomach discomfort (the feeling of being about to throw up or sick to your stomach when you're about to take a test) but I hadn't realized how problematic constant stress was. This is an extremely timely reminder in the middle of the semester.
ReplyDelete