People with depression may have frequent stomach problems, such as nausea, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation. One possible explanation for these symptoms involves a neurotransmitter in the brain and gut called serotonin.
Digestive Issues
Anxiety and depression often result in feelings of nausea, diarrhea, and general unease in your belly. Stomach pain or discomfort that seems to increase along with stress may be tied to depression.
That's because anxiety and worry can upset the delicate balance of digestion. In some people, stress slows down digestion, causing bloating, pain and constipation, while in others it speeds it up, causing diarrhoea and frequent trips to the loo. Some people lose their appetite completely.
Up to a third of people with depression have chronic constipation, and a few studies report that people with depression rate their accompanying bowel difficulties as one of the biggest factors reducing their quality of life.
The development of IBS is often preceded by a stressor to the patient; the stressor can be depression or any physical ailment [20,21].
Bloating is actually a very common symptom of anxiety, especially for those with anxiety attacks. What's interesting is that many different issues can cause bloating including, but not limited to: Hyperventilation The main reason that anxiety leads to bloating is the result of hyperventilation.
Stress can disrupt the normal gut microbiome, creating intestinal dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth. These changes can lead to digestive symptoms, including bloating.
It might be as simple as eating too much too fast, or you could have a food intolerance or other condition that causes gas and digestive contents to build up. Your menstrual cycle is another common cause of temporary bloating. Sometimes a bloated stomach can indicate a more serious medical condition.
Stress belly is the extra abdominal fat that accumulates as the result of chronic or prolonged stress. Although stress belly is not a medical diagnosis, it is a term used to describe the way that stress and stress hormones impact your midsection.
Stress, anxiety and bloating. This seems to be a combination that often comes hand in hand. Very commonly, when someone is experiencing digestive symptoms of bloating, but also other symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) such as cramping or constipation, these more emotional symptoms are present.
Prolonged stress can affect your mental and physical health. It can even lead to a little extra weight around the middle, and extra abdominal fat isn't good for you. Stress belly isn't a medical diagnosis. It's a way to describe how stress and stress hormones can affect your belly.
Depression is technically a mental disorder but also affects your physical health. It may impact everything from your heart, kidney, nervous system, and immune system health.
Can stress or anxiety cause stomach pain? Absolutely. Stress and anxiety are common causes of stomach pain and other GI symptoms.
Aside from affecting your mood, thought processes, sleep schedule and digestive system, depression also impacts one of your most vital organs – your heart. When a person is depressed, stress hormones surge through the body, causing the heart rate to quicken and blood vessels to tighten.
For bloating to be potentially worrisome, it generally needs to have lasted for more than two weeks in a month, said Monique Swain, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. If bloating doesn't go away after making simple diet swaps or going to the bathroom, speak up.
Although a bloated stomach is a common symptom that is not harmless, it can actually be a sign of something serious. A bloated stomach that lasts longer than 2 weeks after taking medications, weight loss, pale skin, loss of appetite and yellowing of the skin can be warning signs of cancer.
The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut. The brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before food gets there.
Although it may seem strange, many people do experience gas (burping and flatulence) connected to their anxiety. Not only can anxiety cause gas problems and bloating - the gas problems themselves can lead to other symptoms that can actually increase anxiety.
How do antidepressants work in IBS? The brain is always monitoring and processing all that goes on in the body. As already noted, antidepressants are known to work at the level of the brain and spinal cord to block pain messages between the GI tract and the brain, thereby reducing visceral hypersensitivity.
Foods that may boost serotonin levels include turkey, chicken, milk, canned tuna, peanuts, oats, bananas, and apples. Serotonin is important for your mental health and sense of well-being, and it's also important for proper gut function.