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Is "Fight/Flight" Fighting Your Gut?
09/02/2023
Is "Fight/Flight" Fighting Your Gut?
DIGESTION DOESN'T START IN YOUR GUT. DIGESTION STARTS IN YOUR BRAIN – before food even enters your mouth! When you anticipate or smell food, your brain sends signals to stimulate the release of digestive enzymes and gastric juices in the stomach. This is why stress can cause digestive issues! During the fight-or-flight response, triggered by stress, the body directs resources away from internal systems like reproduction, immunity, and digestion to deal with the threat our body thinks is there. This happens whether the threat is real or not - as long as the brain perceives it to be real, to your body it is real! This nervous system response can lead to reduced blood flow to the digestive organs and decreased enzyme secretion, impacting proper digestion. As a result, the digestive process becomes compromised, leading to symptoms such as constipation, bloating, and food intolerances. This is why we say that your fight/flight actually fights the gut! So what can you do about it? It is crucial to activate the brain through relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices. By engaging in activities that induce a state of relaxation, like deep breathing exercises, meditation, singing, humming, or gentle movement, we can move our body out of the fight-or-flight mode and into a rest and digest state. This allows the body to redirect resources back to the digestive organs, improve blood flow, and enhance enzyme secretion.
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