Can Stress Cause Gastrointestinal Problems?
When youre anxious, can you feel flutters in your stomach? Do you sometimes feel nauseous when youre nervous? According to studies, you get butterflies and nausea because there is a link between your brain and your stomach — and when youre stressed, your stomach knows it. The American Institute of Stress said that stress can cause such issues as stomach pain, nausea, excess belching and flatulence, and constipation or diarrhea. It also said that stress can cause or aggravate diseases of the digestive tract, including ulcers. Stress And The GI System Dr. Douglas Drossman, co-director of the University of North Carolinas Center for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders, told the AARP that the brain and gastrointestinal (GI) system are connected — meaning that an ailing intestine can send messages to the brain, and the brain can send messages to the intestine. Drossman added, according to AARP, that stress can affect the GI tract, cause inflammation or put you more at-risk
