Stress & Your Digestion

When you think about digesting your food, you likely think about the process starting when we put something in your mouth. But the truth is that the digestive process starts in our brain and the state of our autonomic nervous system can play a big role in how our food is digested and how throughly we are able to do that.

Our autonomic nervous system has two different states - parasympathetic and sympathetic. Parasympathetic is our “rest and digest’ state where we are not experiencing stress and are best able to process the food we eat.

The opposite is the sympathetic state, commonly referred to as our “fight or flight mode.” While the sympathetic state is important to our well-being, when we are constantly in a sympathetic state and don’t regulate to a parasympathetic state when we are eating, we can see a myriad of digestive functions degrade, leaving our food partially or fully composed instead of being broken down as intended to be metabolized and absorbed to the bloodstream.

Here’s a few ways that we are intended to digest food in the parasympathetic state versus what experiencing stress while eating can do to our digestion:

Saliva - We naturally excrete saliva to help break down our foods as soon as they enter our mouth. Our saliva contains salivary to help break down carbohydrates. When we are in a fight or flight state, saliva excretion decreases, making it more difficult for carbohydrates to be broken down at this initial stage, causing issues as they move down our digestive tract. In addition to breaking down carbs, saliva lubricates food for easy passage through the digestive tract.

Peristalsis & Sphincters - This is the mechanism by which food naturally moves through our digestive tract as the pathways contracting and moving food forward. In a stressed state, this doesn’t happen the way it should, causing food to have trouble moving through the digestive tract or getting stuck in areas it shouldn’t be for as long, which can lead to rotting and rancidity in the GI tract.

Gall bladder & Bile - Bile released from the gall bladder assists in the breakdown of dietary fats. This is the only way by which fats are emulsified. In normal digestion, this release is stimulated as fat dense foods enter our digestive system, but with too much stress on the body, the gall bladder is prompted to store bile rather than release it, and come become engorged and leads to gall bladder attacks or gall stones. The end result is often the removal of the gall bladder, all from being in a chronically stressed state.

Glucose and Glycogen Conversion - Glucose is stored in our liver and muscles as glycogen naturally. When our cells need energy, we convert it from glycogen to glucose to be used by cells. This is a normal process that can get stuck in the “on” position in a stressed state, causing glycogen to be converted to glucose even when it is not needed by our cells. Too much glucose in the bloodstream can lead to a host of issues including weight gain, insulin resistance, and blood sugar dis-regulation.

So how do we resolve these issues and get into a parasympathetic state?

1. Take a few deep breaths before you begin eating. Long and slow inhales through your nose and exhales through your mouth are best. This will help you relax and release any stress to put your nervous system in the right state to get ready to focus on digestion

2. When possible, eat without distractions. This means not sitting on your cell phone scrolling through social media, answering work emails, or watching TV. Meals are intended to be social, so conversing with friends or loved one is always a good option to help you naturally slow to and avoid shoveling in your meal as an afterthought.

3. Chew your food thoroughly. This will help with the release of salivary amylase to break down carbs at this initial level, which is extremely important.

4. Smell your food. It sounds simple, but getting excited about eating is important, and smelling your food is a big part of that. Think about when you’re grilling something and you can smell it and you can’t wait to have it - it makes your mouth water! And that’s important. Try cooking with aromatic foods like onions and garlic to make your food appealing and smell tasty!

Our brain plays such an important role in our digestion and is the first place to start for anyone experiencing health issues or looking to lose weight. Studies show that slowing down when eating can naturally lead to eating less calories due to our ability to properly listen to our body’s letting us know that we are full or need more food. Many clients report not only enjoying their food more, but even weight loss from this simple practice that doesn’t require any change in your diet!