The feeling of being bloated is annoying at best and a canary in the coal mine at worst.
Now, we’ve gone over before how gut health can play a major role in bringing on this feeling.
But there’s even more to maintaining a healthy gut and reduce the frequency of being bloated than what you eat.
It comes from something called the gut-brain axis.
There’s an active communication line open between the brain and the gut… And it goes both ways.
Ivan Pavlov (from the famous dog experiments) was one of the first to demonstrate this connection when he verified increased levels of gastric secretions in response to the sight or smell of food.
But we now know the connection between the gut and brain go much deeper than that.
The brain not only triggers simple mechanisms in the gut, the gut microbiota produces a wide range of neuroactive molecules.
And changes in the composition of the microbiota can result in a decreased levels of these molecules and reduce cognitive ability[MM1] …
As for the brain’s impact on the microbiota, it’s not just limited to releasing gastric secretions.
Dealing with chronic stress triggers a process where the brain activates significant changes in the microbiota as well as the surface lining of the gastrointestinal tract… And not for the better.
These changes result in an imbalance of the microbe colonies, which can limit nutrient availability.
Even worse, this back and forth plays a menacing role in the development of many inflammation-based disorders.
Links have been established between this communication line and attention-deficit hypersensitivity disorder (ADHD), mood disorders, multiple sclerosis, obesity and even autism spectrum disorders[MM2] .
So as you can clearly see, simple bloating from an imbalance in the gut microbiota can be an early warning sign of many other more serious conditions.
Since we went over ways to balance the gut with diet yesterday, today we’ll explore some easy lifestyle changes you can take to reduce stress that will help alleviate any imbalance you might have.
De-Stress the Gut
It might sound contradictory, but putting the body through a little physical stress through exercise can have a huge impact on reducing mental stress.
The process of engaging in exercise lowers the levels of cortisol released (AKA the stress hormone) by the adrenal glands.
Working up the occasional sweat also increases the release of endorphins that improve mood.
Incidentally, regular exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality… And we all know how waking up on the wrong side of the bed can impact our mood and stress levels for the rest of the day.
This doesn’t mean you need to start pumping iron though.
We’re big fans of simple calisthenics.
No gym membership or expensive equipment required.
Most people can knockout a couple handfuls of pushups, some crunches, a minute or two with a jump rope and a dozen burpees in 15 minutes or less. And if you can’t, you’ve got yourself a very beneficial and attainable goal for 2020.
De-stressing doesn’t have to be stressful though. Instead of tuning into the news or the latest episode of Criminal Minds, put on something funny.
Laughter isn’t quite the best medicine, but it has been scientifically proven that watching something funny offers more stress relief than dramas or just being distracted[MM3] .
If you just don’t feel like you have time for exercise and refuse to give up watching crime dramas, there’s hope for you and your gut yet.
Cannabis-derived CBD has been shown in clinical trials to reduce anxiety and stress[MM4] .
There are a lot of ways to administer CBD…
You can smoke it through a vaping device (though we wouldn’t advice inhaling anything that may cause damage to the lungs).
There are also oral sprays, oils, topical lotions and even candles that have can have a beneficial impact on stress levels.
The sprays and oils are – as they sound – ingested by swallowing.
As for the lotions, some people have found stress relief from rubbing a bit of CBD lotion on their temples.
Another natural way to reduce stress is by taking a melatonin supplement.
Melatonin increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in certain parts of the brain… And high levels of GABA have been proven to lead to a calming effect[MM5] .
Now that you know some tried and true ways to de-stress your mind (and your gut), what are you waiting for?
Procrastination has also been proven to result in increased levels of stress[MM6] .
So get out in front of it and avoid having to play catchup to cure that feeling of being bloated.
[MM1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458706/
[MM2]https://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/article/S0149-2918(15)00226-X/fulltext
[MM3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12652882
[MM4]http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462019000100009&tlng=en
[MM5]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5446506/
[MM6]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128028629000049