How to improve the happiness of your gut (part 1)
You’ve probably come across the term ‘gut health’. It’s quite new in the field of medical science, but research has grown rapidly over the last 10 years.
Scientists are discovering that the gut has just as much power over how our bodies function as the brain.
The language we use shows how we feel is influenced not just by our heads but also our gut:
a nasty comment from someone can leave “a bad taste in our mouth”
we sometimes “swallow” our disappointment
when we’re nervous or excited we get “butterflies in our stomach”
we often need time to “digest” failure.
How our gut feels has a huge impact on our wellbeing.
What is gut health?
If I asked you to show me where your gut is you’d probably point to your stomach. That’s because gut problems usually show up as symptoms in the intestines – cramps, wind, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation being the most familiar.
In medical terms the gut is known as the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract and it’s huge - about 9 metres in length, running all the way from the mouth to the anus.
That fact alone gives us some idea of just how much influence the gut has on the body’s functions!
The most obvious role of the gut is to digest the food we eat, absorb nutrients and get rid of waste. However, it has two other very important jobs:
To communicate with the brain
To support the immune system
Part 1 of this blog post explores the gut-brain connection, and in Part 2 I’ll look at the link between the gut and our immune system - in particular the role of the gut microbiome.
The gut-brain connection
The link between the brain and the gut is very clear to see in babies – they get terribly upset when they’re hungry, and grizzly if they have wind. In adults this connection doesn’t disappear – how we express our symptoms just becomes more refined :-)
Have you ever felt sick before giving a presentation? Had stomach cramps when you’re stressed? Needed to run to the loo before an exam? Lost your appetite when you feel worried?
This is your brain going into ‘fight or flight’ mode. It tells your body to deal with the immediate stress in front of you, and to divert energy away from other body functions like the digestive system.
The consequence of this can be digestive symptoms – which is how the gut communicates back to the brain that it’s unhappy about the lack of blood flow and energy it needs to operate properly!
Communication between the brain and the gut is a two-way street – it’s often referred to as the ‘gut-brain axis.’ [related post: How to strengthen your mind-body connection for better health].
The examples above are about emotions (in the brain) triggering symptoms in the gut, but maybe for you it’s the other way round – does eating certain foods impact your mood?
Some of my clients who are sensitive to gluten for example tell me they experience symptoms of low mood or anxiety (as well as digestive problems) after eating gluten.
Research shows that when the gut is irritated, activity can be detected in the emotional centre of the brain.
An unhappy gut sends signals to the brain and an unhappy brain sends signals to the gut.
An unhappy gut can be the cause OR the result of stress, anxiety or depression.
So how can we improve our gut-brain connection?
The vagus nerve is key
Signals between the gut and the brain are delivered via the nervous system. One of the most important nerves in this process is the vagus nerve. It starts at the base of the brain and continues along the side of the throat, heart and lungs and into the gut.
The vagus nerve acts like a messenger between the brain and the gut. It’s a key part of the parasympathetic nervous system – the ‘rest and digest’ state we ideally move into after any ‘fight or flight’ response to stress.
However, many of us lead fraught, busy lives and spend more time in a stress response mode than we do in rest and recovery mode.
This might not always be obvious. A trip to the gym might seem like a positive investment in your health, but if you have to rush back to work or to pick up the kids straight afterwards this can leave your stress response switched on from your workout.
You might be losing out on the restorative benefits of exercising in the first place.
If we rarely shift into a rest and recovery state this has an impact on vagal tone – a measure of how active our vagus nerve is.
The higher your vagal tone, the faster you’re able to relax after stress.
High vagal tone is associated with a lower heart rate, lower blood pressure and better digestion – all things that happen when we’re relaxed.
Low vagal tone keeps the stress response switched on, increases anxiety and makes it more likely your gut will be unhappy.
Research has shown that people with IBS or Crohn’s disease have reduced vagal tone.
5 ways to improve your vagal tone
Deep and slow breathing - increasing the variation in your heart rate between inhaling and exhaling improves vagal tone [for a simple exercise have a look at my blog post on conscious breathing].
Yoga stretches – cobra pose is a great way to stimulate the vagus nerve in the neck.
Try singing, humming, or gargling – one of the branches of the vagus nerve can be stimulated by using the vocal chords!
Exposing your body to the cold activates the vagus nerve. Splash your face with cold water 10-20 times or finish your shower with a blast of cold water – the benefits are compelling.
Laughing increases heart rate variability and vagal tone :-)
Building some of these exercises into your daily routine can help you move into a rest and recovery state more quickly.
This means you’ll spend less time in a stress response mode which in turn will help strengthen the communication between your gut and brain.
A stronger gut-brain connection gives us a better sense of wellbeing - physically and mentally.
Homeopathy can be effective in alleviating gut symptoms and helping you get to the root of the problem.
If you’re struggling with your gut and you’d like to find out more about how I could help, do get in touch - I offer free discovery calls:
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