Your gut and your brain, why stress can affect your digestion.

“Gut instinct.” “I could feel it in my gut.” “I was shitting myself with fear.” “Sick with worry.” “I’ve got butterflies.”

We use phrases like these all the time and there’s a reason, our gut and our brain are in constant communication.

This two-way relationship is known as the gut–brain axis, and it helps explain why you might get butterflies before a presentation, lose your appetite when you're worried, or suddenly need the loo when you're feeling stressed.

What happens to your gut when you're stressed?

When we experience stress, our body switches into a state of heightened alertness. Hormones and signalling chemicals such as adrenaline help prepare us to deal with what the brain perceives as a threat.

This is essentially a hangover from our cave-dwelling days, when the stress response was designed to help us survive an immediate threat, like needing to run away from a sabre-toothed tiger. The problem is that our modern-day “threats” are often much less dramatic - work deadlines, money worries, relationship difficulties, traffic, constant notifications on your phone, lack of sleep or simply feeling like there is never enough time in the day.

When we're repeatedly stressed, the body can spend too much time in this heightened state. This can influence gut motility, digestive secretions, blood flow and how we perceive sensations from the gut.

And because the gut and brain are communicating constantly, what happens in one can influence the other.

Stress doesn't mean that IBS is “all in your head”, far from it. IBS is a genuine disorder of gut–brain interaction, and stress can be one factor that influences symptoms. Some people notice that their bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation becomes worse during particularly stressful periods, while others may find that their symptoms themselves become a source of stress.

It's a bit of a vicious circle:

Stress → changes in gut function → more symptoms → more worry about symptoms → more stress.

Research also suggests that psychological factors can influence the risk of developing persistent gut symptoms following an episode of gastroenteritis. This is one reason why looking at the gut in isolation doesn't always tell the whole story.

And this is where I think it's important to look at the bigger picture.

If we're trying to improve gut health, we're not just looking at what you're eating. We're also considering what's happening in your life, how you're sleeping, how you're moving and how much time your nervous system gets to switch off.

Start noticing your patterns.

One of the simplest things you can do is keep a diary for a week. And I don't mean obsessively recording every mouthful of food. Instead notice:

What you've eaten How well you've slept Your stress levels Your mood Your digestive symptoms What's happening in your life that day Patterns can be surprisingly revealing.

Perhaps your symptoms are worse after a terrible night's sleep. Maybe they're more noticeable during a particularly stressful week at work. Or perhaps you're eating very differently when you're busy and rushing around.

The aim isn't to become hyper-vigilant about your symptoms. It's to understand what your gut might be responding to.

So what can you actually do about stress?

Unfortunately, we can't remove all the stress from our lives and telling someone to “just relax” isn't particularly helpful, but we can create more opportunities for the nervous system to move out of that constant state of alert.

Small things can make a difference:

Get outside for a walk, particularly during the working day (without your phone!). Give yourself a proper break from your desk. Reduce work emails and scrolling before bed (at least an hour before). Make time for activities that genuinely help you unwind. Try yoga, stretching or another form of movement that feels restorative. Practise slow, controlled breathing. Prioritise sleep, it's a huge part of the gut–brain relationship. And, perhaps most importantly, build some space into your day rather than constantly running on empty. There are loads of apps now that can help you with this, find one with a voice that doesn't irritate you!

Gut health isn't simply about eating the “right” foods. Your gut is influenced by what you eat, your microbiome, your sleep, your stress levels, your movement and your wider lifestyle and all of these things become increasingly important as we age.

That's why I look at gut health from four angles:

CONSIDER what's going on ADD IN variety REPLENISH & NOURISH the gut and body BALANCE the things that influence it, including stress, sleep and movement.

Because supporting your gut isn't just about having better digestion today. It's about building resilience for the years ahead.

And sometimes, the most helpful thing you can do for your gut isn't another supplement or another food to remove.

It might simply be taking a breath.

In through your nose, slowly… and out even more slowly.

Your gut will thank you.