There is a complex communication network between your gut and your brain. While anxiety may lead to digestive issues, dysregulation in your gut may also exacerbate anxiety or depression. We’ll discuss “a gut feeling vs anxiety” and recommend some great ways to soothe your gut and ease your mind.
Ever have a gut feeling about something? Your stomach health can also tell you a lot about your mental health. The brain is connected to the gut via the gut-brain axis, meaning the bacteria in your gut can influence your mood. The stomach provides 95% of the body’s serotonin, the chemical responsible for carrying messages throughout the body and brain. Serotonin is crucial in bodily functions like mood, sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, bone health, blood clotting, and sexual desire. Serotonin levels need to be regulated and can cause physical and psychological health problems if they are too low or too high.
When most of us think about mental health, we only think about the mind. However, your gut microbiome plays a significant role in your feelings. This connection makes it more important to nourish your gut with foods that help maintain your mental health. Here are five strategies for having your gut work for you and mitigate anxiety.
A Gut Feeling vs. Anxiety: 5 Great Ways to Soothe Your Gut and Ease Your Mind is an original (News7Health) article.
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A gut feeling vs anxiety:
Drink less alcohol
While sipping on a cocktail or enjoying a refreshing beer may temporarily relieve anxiety, it is very toxic to the gut. Since alcohol can indiscriminately affect the composition of both good and bad bacteria, it can lead to all sorts of health problems, like inflammation and tissue damage, and become more of a cause than a solution to anxiety. As always, enjoy in moderation.
A gut feeling vs. anxiety:
Rethinking your diet
Much like alcohol, certain foods can be damaging to the gut microbiome. Avoid highly processed foods and sugar. Instead, swap them for high-fiber fruits and vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and berries. Opt for foods with a high omega-3 content, like salmon, which can reduce inflammation and aid digestion.
A gut feeling vs anxiety:
Take a walk to aid digestion
You can’t use the nutrients you take in if you don’t digest them. Try taking a short walk after eating a meal. This post-meal stroll has many reported benefits, including blood sugar management, possible reduction of heart disease risk, weight loss, and improved digestion. A study done on psychiatric inpatients found that walking improves gastrointestinal motility.
A gut feeling vs anxiety:
Relax
This one goes without saying, but similar to how what we eat can affect how we feel, how we feel can affect the gut’s efficiency. The stress response inhibits the digestive system, while the relaxation response activates it, which is why the relaxation response is sometimes called “rest and digest.”
A gut feeling vs anxiety:
Supplementation
Let’s face it, some of us lead busy lives, and we don’t always have time to eat a diverse range of healthy foods to build and maintain a healthy gut. That’s when supplementation comes in handy. There are many probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic products on the market.
Medicine Man Plant Company makes a supplement called The Gut Pill, a blend of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Calendula, Marshmallow root, and Triphala, all of which are bacteria or ancient plant extracts formulated to work together to support a healthy gut to mitigate anxiety.
Medicine Man Plant Co. makes supplements from various plants and mushrooms that have been used as herbal remedies for thousands of years. They use the medicinal traditions of many different cultures from different parts of the world, many of which are backed and supported by health and nutritional science.
“By bringing you key plants from around the world, there is a much better chance your body will get the specific compounds with which you co-evolved,” their mission statement reads. “The Medicine Man is here for you as he was in the past and will be in the future. This is the story, mission, and hope of Medicine Man Plant Co.”
Going with your gut:
Building a plan for your anxiety
Anxiety is no small problem for anxiety sufferers. Unfortunately, there is still a large amount of stigma surrounding mental health today, causing people to delay or avoid treatment because they fear how others may perceive them. If you suffer from anxiety, there is no need to suffer in silence. Anxiety is a more commonly reported mental issue in the United States, affecting approximately 40 million adults, or 19.1% of the population, every year.
The lifestyle adjustments discussed in this article are a great way to build and maintain a healthy gut and give you peace of mind. Still, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Fortunately, many options and resources are available today for mental health treatment.
Further reading
Neuroscience News: Diet and Dementia: Study Uncovers Gut-Brain Link to Alzheimer’s
Medical News Today: Parkinson’s: Gut microbiome changes may be an early sign
CBS News: “Gut health” is more than a wellness buzzword, experts say. Here’s why it matters.
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements Or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
