HOT DIARRHEA SUMMER had a lot of the nation’s stomachs in knots. Thousands were duking it out on the toilet after falling ill to contaminated iceberg lettuce. While the Cyclospora outbreak has ended, some people will continue to have tummy troubles.
And no, it’s not your produce this time. Common culprits guys overlook for tummy troubles are stress and anxiety. The gut and brain have an important connection and influence each other.
So it’s pretty normal but not so great when the symptoms of an upset stomach make you more worried about every race to the restroom—it could possibly start a vicious cycle of stress diarrhea. EVERYONE HAS A brain-gut axis. This is where the two parts of your body “talk to each other,” says gastroenterologist Ali Khan, MD.
The gut has so many nerve cells that it’s often referred to as the “second brain” of the body. Scientists continue to uncover more and more about this gut-brain axis, but research continues to find that the gut responds to emotions. Yes, that includes the stress you feel when bills are due or when seeing the first gray hairs on your head.
Part of the central nervous system, called the enteric nervous system, directly connects the brain and GI system. When you start to feel stress or anxiety, the body reacts by releasing cortisol and adrenaline—hormones that can impact your bowel habits. Stress also affects the healthy bacteria in your gut, which affects how you digest food.
The brain-gut connection is also a pathway for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). If you have IBS or inflammatory bowel disease, anxiety and stress can trigger flare-ups, which might include more diarrhea. Khan says people with these GI conditions are also more likely to experience stress, which worsens their symptoms.
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