Nerves In The Stomach And Anxiety, Why Do They Appear Together?
Nerves in the stomach: Is there a relationship between anxiety and gastrointestinal ailments? How does anxiety affect the stomach?
The nerves in the stomach They are caused, mainly, by a state of anxiety that must be remedied. As is already known, anxiety and stress can manifest themselves in different ways and feeling pain in the pit of the stomach in the form of twinges and discomfort is one of them.
According to experts, we have a second brain that refers to the enteric nervous system, which is a subdivision of the autonomic nervous system and is found in the digestive system. This is made up of a network of one hundred million neurons that act independently and have the ability to send and receive impulses and register emotions. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to notice a knot or nerves in the stomach when we are worried or feel butterflies when we fall in love. In this way, many times both punctures in the stomach, Gas in the stomach, the urge to vomit or any stomach upset ends up being one of the manifestations of anxiety.
The connection between the brain and the digestive system is closer than it may seem and acts in both directions, as confirmed in a conference by the Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology. If we feel a high anxiety level The pathologies we may have will be aggravated or new ones will be created and if we have poor digestion, this will cause us stress and worry. Once again, body and mind are closely related. But what are the symptoms of nerves in the stomach? And above all, is it possible to stop them?
The symptoms of nerves in the stomach They can be pain, heartburn, gas, nausea or the feeling of having a closed stomach. The opposite symptom can also occur, anxiety in the stomach can make one not feel satiated despite eating food or make them feel bad continuously. Once any physical ailment has been ruled out, it is time to focus on the anxiety that caused it.
We believe that anxiety is something bad, but in reality it is a natural response of the body that helps facilitate escape in an adaptive way, that is, by activating anxiety, the person’s life can be protected. Evolutionarily it has been a mechanism that has helped us survive as a species against possible predators and today it is also of great help to us. The nerves in the stomach and everything that is related to them (such as punctures in the stomach, stomach pain, among others) is one of the symptoms of that anxiety.
Before understanding why the symptoms of anxiety and nerves in the stomach So often, it is essential to understand how anxiety works.
The heart pumps more blood: Increases blood flow to have more oxygen and therefore more energy to face the dangerous situation. That blood is distributed to the extremities to be able to flee faster and the muscles tense as a consequence.
Breathing speeds up: This occurs for the same reason. The muscles need more oxygen to be able to have more strength and energy and therefore, breathing is more agitated, which can give the sensation of tingling in the hands and feet and dizziness as well as pressure in the chest or a feeling of suffocation.
We sweat more: This fact, which seems useless, is because if we sweat our skin is more slippery, and therefore, it is more difficult to get caught. In addition, sweat cools the body and thus prevents overheating.
The pupils dilate: This happens to allow more light to enter the eyes. The problem is that it can cause the sensation of blurred vision and be annoying.
Decreases the activity of the digestive system: As the blood is distributed to the extremities, it stops pumping towards the digestive system, which can cause a feeling of nausea, heaviness of the nerves in the stomach with twinges and discomfort, or even constipation.
Although the anxiety It is a survival response, some of the symptoms may be annoying, but they are tremendously useful in a dangerous situation. The problem is that there are people who express it when the situation is not real danger. That is, if a car is about to hit you, you are in real danger, but if you have an exam in an hour, you are not really in danger, even though your brain associates it that way and your body reacts in the same way. Therefore, the nerves in the stomach and anxiety regarding specific causes such as exams, oppositions, waiting for medical results or some news are within the normal range, the problem arises when these nerves do not go away and one suffers from prolonged states of anxiety or cases of chronic stress.
* If you are a psychologist and want to know more how anxiety works and learning to detect it diagnose and intervene correctly, we recommend that you take into account the psychology master’s degrees currently offered in Spain both in person and online.
Why does anxiety affect the stomach?
As we have already mentioned, the stomach and brain They are related and there are several explanations for the appearance of the need to go to the bathroom often, the inability to eat, feeling nausea or needing to binge eat when you are nervous:
false signals: When we have anxiety Our nervous system functions more sensitively, which can cause “false signals” of urgency. The body sends the signal that it can’t take it anymore, that it has to evacuate or eat and there is an uncontrollable urge to go to the bathroom or eat (or it causes a blockage in the stomach and produces a feeling of lack of appetite).
Excess adrenaline: Another explanation is that the adrenalin that is generated in the body when it is in a situation of stress causes the signal to be sent to give relief to the body. For this reason, you may feel an overwhelming urge to eat, urinate, or defecate, because that way the body feels satisfied and also because it gets the relaxation response it needs.
Muscle tension: A final explanation is because when we are nervous muscles They tense and cause muscle discharge, which can affect the internal organs and cause the feeling of full or empty in said organs (intestines, stomach or bladder) due to the pressure produced.
If we have anxiety (and nerves in the stomach) our digestive system will not be affected except for those small discomforts. The problem is when anxiety or stress is continued over time. Certain ailments may appear there such as: compulsive eating, food intolerances, irritable colon, etc. since the organs of the digestive system function either accelerated or in an abnormal way, causing organic diseases.
How to stop the nerves in the stomach
In order to stop digestive problems such as nerves in the stomach, we must treat the anxiety On a psychological level, that is, you have to go to the cause of its appearance and work on it. Know what negative thoughts, motivations and concerns are causing this state of discomfort and try to change them or find a solution.
Go to a specialist: However, in order to work anxiety well especially if it is prolonged over time, it is best to go to a mental health specialist who can help you detect the mechanisms that are activated, when they are activated, their causes, work on them and provide resources to control it.
Manage your nerves: There are some aspects that can help manage those nerves. On the one hand, it is advisable to reduce the stress levels of the day through good organization, a reduction in mental workload and relaxation exercises that help minimize it.
Exercise and healthy diet: It is also important to eat a balanced and healthy diet, avoiding strong foods that cause acidity as well as coffee and stimulating drinks. All of this will help the digestive system to function correctly and not add more burden than what is already caused by that nervous state.
In short, to stop or control the nerves in the stomach You must first go to the cause, treating the anxiety that generates them, if necessary with a specialist, and combine it with a healthy, calm and balanced life.
As we can see, anxiety causes changes in our body and among them in the digestive system, which is why in many cases a person, no matter how many tests are done, does not present anything unusual, or why some of these diseases become chronic. When there is a lot of anxiety Even these pleasurable activities cost a lot, but postponing them will still maintain very high levels of activation. Once again we see the relationship that exists between emotions and health, and how it is important to work at all levels. Emotions exist for a reason and it is their ignorance and rejection that generates the greatest discomfort in us. Therefore it is essential not to forget about them.
