Stress and the GI tract: How to protect your digestive system in a fast-paced life

Author: Ren Qingling

Unit: Shanxi Bethune Hospital

In today's society, a fast-paced lifestyle has become the norm. Every day we face pressure from work, study, family and other aspects. In the process of dealing with these pressures, our bodies bear various invisible burdens, among which the gastrointestinal tract bears the brunt. The gastrointestinal tract is an important part of the human digestive system, responsible for important functions such as food digestion, absorption and excretion of waste. Its health is directly related to the overall health of our body. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand the impact of stress on the gastrointestinal tract and how to protect the digestive system.

Effects of stress on the gastrointestinal tract

Physiological mechanisms

1. In a fast-paced life, stress triggers the body's stress response system. When the brain senses stress, it sends signals to the adrenal glands, prompting them to secrete hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones have a significant disruptive effect on gastrointestinal function. For example, they disrupt the peristaltic rhythm of the gastrointestinal tract, which may cause delayed gastric emptying or excessive intestinal peristalsis, thereby causing symptoms such as indigestion, diarrhea or constipation.

2. Long-term stress can also seriously affect the blood circulation of the gastrointestinal tract. Under stress, blood vessels contract, resulting in a decrease in blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract. This change not only weakens the gastrointestinal mucosal repair ability, making it difficult to resist the erosion of gastric acid, bacteria, etc., but also affects the normal metabolic function of the gastrointestinal tract, greatly increasing the risk of ulcers.

Common symptoms

Many people experience a loss of appetite when they are under stress. This is because stress hormones disrupt the appetite regulation center in the brain, making us lose interest in food. At the same time, stomach discomfort is also common, and symptoms such as bloating and stomach pain may occur frequently during intense work or study. In addition, stress may also induce irritable bowel syndrome, and patients will experience abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits, such as diarrhea or constipation.

The harm of stress to the gastrointestinal tract

1. Continuous pressure on the gastrointestinal tract will cause the gastrointestinal mucosa to be in a damaged state for a long time. The damaged mucosa is prone to inflammation. If the inflammation is not relieved in time, it may develop into chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the root cause of many gastrointestinal diseases, such as chronic gastritis and enteritis.

2. In the long run, gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by stress may also affect the balance of intestinal flora. Intestinal flora plays a vital role in human health. They are involved in a variety of physiological processes such as food digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune regulation. An imbalance in intestinal flora may further weaken the immune function of the gastrointestinal tract, making the gastrointestinal tract more susceptible to pathogens, increasing the risk of infection, and may even be associated with the occurrence of gastrointestinal tumors.

How to protect your digestive tract in a fast-paced life

Dietary adjustments

1. Eat regularly: No matter how busy your life is, keeping a fixed meal time is a basic requirement for protecting the digestive tract. Eating three meals a day at regular times and in fixed quantities helps the gastrointestinal tract establish a stable biological clock. For example, breakfast can be arranged at 7-8 o'clock, lunch at 12-13 o'clock, and dinner at 18-19 o'clock. This can prompt the gastrointestinal tract to secrete digestive juices at the right time, thereby improving digestion efficiency. This is because after the digestive system receives food signals at a regular time, it can better coordinate the secretion of digestive juices such as gastric acid, bile, and pancreatic juice, so that food can be fully digested and absorbed. If the meal time is irregular and the secretion of digestive juices is disordered, it is easy to cause incomplete digestion of food and increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

2. Choose easily digestible food: When you are under great stress, you should avoid eating greasy, spicy and irritating foods. You can eat more foods rich in dietary fiber, such as whole wheat bread, broccoli, spinach, bananas and apples. These foods help promote intestinal peristalsis and maintain the balance of intestinal flora. In addition, eating foods rich in tryptophan, such as milk, nuts, etc., is also a good choice. Tryptophan can be converted into serotonin in the body, which helps improve mood. This is because a good mood helps to reduce the impact of stress on the gastrointestinal tract, and serotonin, as a neurotransmitter, can regulate emotions, thereby indirectly protecting gastrointestinal health.

Stress Management

1. Relaxation techniques: Learning some simple and effective relaxation techniques is an important means to relieve stress and protect the digestive tract, such as deep breathing, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation. Take 10-15 minutes a day to practice deep breathing, find a quiet place to sit or lie down, slowly inhale to fill the abdomen with air, then slowly exhale, and repeat. Meditation can help us concentrate and reduce tension in the brain. Progressive muscle relaxation is to release tension by tightening and relaxing muscle groups in various parts of the body in turn. These relaxation techniques can effectively reduce the body's stress response level and reduce the secretion of stress hormones, thereby reducing the adverse effects of stress on the gastrointestinal tract.

2. Reasonable arrangement of work and life: Avoid overwork and learn to plan work and rest time reasonably. For example, adopt the Pomodoro Technique, work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. This method can improve work efficiency and reduce stress. In spare time, cultivate your own hobbies, such as painting, reading, etc., which can temporarily relieve yourself from stress sources. Reasonable work and life arrangements can avoid being in a state of high pressure for a long time and help maintain the stability of the body's internal environment, including the normal function of the gastrointestinal tract.

Exercise properly

Exercise has a positive effect on gastrointestinal health. Appropriate exercise can promote gastrointestinal motility and enhance digestive function. Doing aerobic exercise for about 30 minutes a day, such as brisk walking, jogging or cycling, is a good choice. Exercise can also improve mood by releasing neurotransmitters such as endorphins, thereby reducing the negative impact of stress on the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, exercise can enhance the body's immunity, including the local immune function of the gastrointestinal tract, which helps resist the invasion of pathogens and protect the gastrointestinal tract from infection.

Get enough sleep

Lack of sleep can disrupt the body's hormone balance and increase the adverse effects of stress on the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, you should ensure 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep every day. To improve sleep quality, you can create a quiet, dark and cool bedroom environment, avoid using electronic devices before going to bed, and develop regular sleep habits. Adequate sleep helps the body restore energy, regulate hormone secretion, and maintain the health of the gastrointestinal mucosa, because during sleep, the body will undergo a series of physiological adjustments, including self-repair of the gastrointestinal tract and regulation of the secretion of digestive juices.

In the fast-paced modern life, stress has a wide and profound impact on the gastrointestinal tract, and its harm cannot be ignored. Protecting the digestive tract is not only to prevent gastrointestinal diseases, but also a key link in maintaining overall health. We must fully realize the harm of stress to the gastrointestinal tract and the importance of protecting the digestive tract, and actively take various measures, such as a reasonable diet, effective stress management, proper exercise and adequate sleep, to protect our digestive system. Only in this way can we maintain the health of the gastrointestinal tract in a busy life and thus improve the overall health of the body.