So we talked a lot about diet, which is very important, but it's not the only piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving your health.

One of the most talked about, but yet most often overlooked aspect of gut health is STRESS!

The gut-brain connection is now very well documented, and we now know that not only does stress affect the gut (you know this feeling you get in your gut in a stressful situation..), but the health of your gut also influences your brain, and especially your mood.

Did you know that your gut bacteria can send messages to the brain via the vagus nerve... this is why restoring a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut can have such a powerful effect on your mood!

But what I want to talk about today is how stress impacts your digestion and general well-being.

First, let’s take a closer look at the effect of stress on the body.

When you are stressed, your body activates the fight of flight response. Your body’s energy is shifted from activities not essential to survival- like growing beautiful hair, making hormones, and digesting and repairing itself- to instead focusing its resources on meeting the increased stress-induced demand.

Stress is quite normal on the short term...like running away from a tiger! It becomes a problem when you are constantly in a state of high stress... whether it's caused by your work, financial issues, bad relationship, etc.

Chronic stress can wreak havoc in your gut by literally shutting down digestion! It affects everything from your enzyme production to your gut motility.

So many of my clients have a history of a very stressful period leading to their health issues, and unfortunately, even once the stress has passed, the health issues can stick around!

This is why addressing stress is a really important aspect of improving gut health.

ACTION STEP :

Take some time to think about this: Is there anything you can do in your life to reduce the amount of stress you are dealing with right now?

Don't worry, I know you can't take away all the stressors in your life... so go to the next lesson to learn a simple breathing technique to help you better cope with your day to day stress.