You’re preparing for a big presentation at work when suddenly nature calls.
Arizona-based Dr. Nicole Kane said that nervousness when going to the bathroom could be explained by an invisible thread that connects the head and the intestines.
Only recently have doctors begun to explore the complex relationship between the brain and the digestive system.
“The gut and the brain communicate on a two-way axis, and it’s called the gut-brain microbiome, or gut-brain microbiome axis,” Dr. Cain told DailyMail.com.
“And it turns out that the bugs in your gut actually have a lot more to say than your brain.”
The sensation you feel in your stomach when you’re nervous is proof that the gut-brain axis is connected.
Her advice is to practice deep, slow breathing when you feel your anxiety rising. Avoiding foods high in fiber and caffeine may also limit the effects.
Dr. Kane began focusing on the gut-brain relationship in medical school after seeing patients with severe cases of Crohn’s disease and anxiety.
The patient suffered from joint pain and chronic diarrhea, and spent days lying on the bathroom floor, but no treatment was effective.
Eventually, with targeted treatment, her gastrointestinal symptoms were brought under control, and at the same time her anxiety seemed to miraculously disappear.
According to Dr. Kane, this led her to think that “there was some deeper meaning to this connection.”
Before a first date, a big test, or a public speech, our brains may start emitting stress and anxiety signals.
These tell the body to release chemicals such as cortisol, serotonin, and adrenaline.
These messengers travel throughout your body, sending your heart rate and blood pressure into overdrive, and attaching to receptors in your gut.
This causes a “tight or agitated” sensation that irritates your intestines and triggers a wave of contractions that tell you you need to head to your porcelain throne.
Once your anxiety subsides, you may feel like you don’t have to go anymore.
It’s also possible that your body is actually doing something during this storm and only releases it when it’s relaxed and able to pass stool.
“Right after the adrenaline rush, everything may start happening all at once,” gastroenterologist Kristin Lee, MD, told the Cleveland Clinic.
Conversely, depression can also affect your gut.
For some people who suffer from depression, their symptoms are caused by an imbalance in chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps control sleep, sex drive, mood, and digestion. According to the University of Pennsylvania, 90 to 95 percent of it is produced in the digestive system.
Dr. Cain became attuned to the gut-brain axis after a patient with severe Crohn’s disease and anxiety disorder appeared to be cured of both at the same time
This has led researchers to theorize that for some people with depression, the problem may stem from intestinal dysfunction. That’s because your digestive system may not be producing enough serotonin to keep your brain running smoothly.
Additionally, serotonin itself causes changes in the gut.
“There are more serotonin receptors in the gut than in the brain, so serotonin plays just as big a role in the gut as it does in the brain,” Dr. Lee said.
In the gastrointestinal tract, serotonin controls how quickly food moves through the intestines, the amount of water produced to help break down and move food, and sensitivity to sensations such as satiety and intestinal pain. Helpful.
Studies have found a similarly bizarre link between gastrointestinal health and depression.
A 2016 University College Cork study found that when stool samples from depressed patients were transplanted into bacteria-free rats, they developed symptoms of depression, including an apathy towards normal activities.
A large 2023 study that looked at fecal samples from more than 1,000 people found that all people with depression had lower levels of a bacterium called Eubacterium ventriosum than people without depression.
This suggests that the lack of this bacterium may contribute to this condition.
The final way the gut-brain connection becomes apparent is through the vagus nerve, Dr. Kane said.
Hormones and neurotransmitters released during stress responses have many receptors in the gastrointestinal tract.
The vagus nerve is one of 12 large nerves that run directly from the brain into the body. It controls many functions that cannot be controlled by pure human will, such as digestion, heart rate, and the immune system.
One of its most important roles is to transition the body into a state of stress relief. When you remove yourself from a stressful situation, your vagus nerve activates, which stabilizes your heart rate, reduces anxiety, and stimulates your immune system.
This also returns the intestines to a resting state, working on processing food and providing energy at a gentler rate.
Some naturopathic doctors, like Dr. Kane, say you can “hack” the system to your advantage. If you find yourself feeling anxious or stressed, even when you don’t need to be, try activating your vagus nerve to give your body and gut a hard reset.
Cain says deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, cold exposure, and meditation can turn the vagus nerve back on and calm the mind.
Whether it’s anxiety, depression, or simple vagal simulation, each of us has to deal with the strange interactions between the gut and the brain, Dr. Cain says. It’s about understanding that your body is giving you information.
“We are, by and large, products of our intestines.”
