Anxiety and Your Gut

Common gut-related anxiety symptoms are feeling sick, diarrhea and a churning stomach. Anxiety is caused by worrying about a potentially threatening situation that can be real or imagined. While anxiety starts in our mind, symptoms are often seen in the body, including the gut.

Scientists have found that the gut and brain are linked and improvements in gut health can help to reduce anxiety symptoms. One thing that needs to be looked at carefully is the gut microbiome. This includes the collection of microbes and bacteria that live in the gut.

How Does Anxiety Affect the Body?

According to a survey, around 33.7% of the population are affected by an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. But, there are different levels and types of anxiety.

Some get anxious occasionally, while others may suffer longer-term, recurring symptoms that can affect day to day life. While experiencing a bout of anxiety, a variety of physical symptoms may occur including:

• Sweating
• Racing heart
• Fast breathing
• Nausea
• Churning stomach
• Difficulty sleeping
• Memory difficulties
• Headaches and muscle pain
• Changes in sex drive

Can Anxiety Cause Stomach Pain?

Yes, the stress that anxiety puts on the body can lead to cramps and stomach pain. However, this is often hard to diagnose, because stomach pain can result from a range of different issues. If you experience stomach pain with other symptoms, it’s best to get checked out by a doctor.

Some types of anxiety-related stomach pain are:

• Indigestion. When you are stressed out, hormone levels are affected. A hormonal imbalance can lead to indigestion, bloating and pain.
• Abdominal tension. Stress can lead to tension in the abdomen which tires out the muscles and causes a continual feeling of discomfort.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Studies have shown psychological stress to be an important factor in the development of IBS.

Can Anxiety Make You Throw Up?

Vomiting can be a symptom of severe anxiety and is more common in some types of anxiety than others. Eating healthier may reduce the chance of vomiting from anxiety, but it’s recommended to get advice from a doctor if this continues.

How to Stop Feeling Sick from Anxiety?

Talk to your doctor or local pharmacist about what over the counter medications are available. But, the only way to stop vomiting from anxiety for good is to tackle the root cause of your anxiety. This can take time and effort, but is well worth it to be free from anxiety symptoms altogether.

Try the BetterSleep app for guided meditations and soothing sleep sounds that will help relax the body and calm anxious minds before bedtime.