How to Calm An Anxious Stomach From Anxiety and Stress

You’ve probably experienced this before: You’re about to make a big public speech, go on a first date, or interview for a new job. You’re feeling understandably nervous about it. But, not only are you feeling emotionally anxious – there’s an uncomfortable sensation in your stomach as well.

You might describe it as “butterflies.” Or, the sensation might be less pleasant, like a knot or a sinking feeling in your stomach. Whatever you call it, that bodily sensation is connected to your thoughts and emotions.

In this article, we’ll review how your gut and mind are connected, why anxiety can sometimes cause stomach problems, and what you can do about it.

Can anxiety and stress cause stomach problems?

We have all experienced stomach issues and nervousness at the same time. But are the two really linked?

The short answer is yes. Anxiety and stress can, and do, cause stomach problems.

Think about it: when you’re worried about an upcoming deadline or traveling to an unfamiliar location – and feel your pulse racing, palms sweating, and your heartbeat pounding in your ears (often a sign of an increase in blood pressure) – you are not consciously causing these things to happen. Your body is responding to a release of epinephrine, otherwise known as adrenaline^[1], that kickstarts those processes.

Similarly, anxiety and stress can trigger the release of hormones in the stomach, causing gastrointestinal (GI) issues^[2]. Some of the GI symptoms that can be caused by anxiety and stress are:

• Nausea
• Indigestion
• Loss of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Cramps
• Gastritis (inflammation in the lining of the stomach)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Peptic ulcers

And while many of the stomach issues listed above are only mildly concerning, conditions like gastritis and peptic ulcers, when left untreated, may pose a serious threat to a person’s health^[3].

The mind-gut connection

You may have heard that scientists have found, and continue to research, a connection between the brain and the “gut” or gastrointestinal tract. The ‘gut-brain axis’ is a communication network between the central nervous system-your brain and spinal cord-and enteric nervous system^[4].

The enteric nervous system, sometimes called the “brain of the gut,” operates separately from the central nervous system and is a vast network of nerve cells controlling everything from digestion to the “butterflies” you feel when you’re anxious.

You might think of the gut-brain axis like two tennis players in a match. Both sides are involved and make moves according to what the other does. For example, the mere thought of eating a food can stimulate your stomach to begin ramping up the digestive process^[5]. In the opposite direction, if you haven’t eaten for hours, your stomach triggers the release of ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite.

On top of that, both sides are affected by the enteric microbiome, or the collection of all the microorganisms living in the gut. We might think of the gut microbiome as the weather conditions during the tennis match. Certain weather just makes for better playing environments than others.

For example, scientists have discovered similar patterns in the microbiomes of animal models used to study anxiety and major depression.

In one study, researchers transferred the microbiomes from rats who showed signs of major depression into healthy rats who showed no signs of depression^[6]. What they discovered is the previously healthy rats began to show signs of depression. These findings, and studies like them, suggest the gut microbiome may have a significant influence, through the mind-gut connection, on mental health.