The content in this article should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.
We've all experienced a "gut feeling" about something, and it turns out that the phrase is more than just a metaphor. Your mind and gut are constantly chatting, resulting in a powerful gut-brain connection that plays a significant role in your glucose health and overall well-being.
How do the brain and gut communicate?
The brain talks to your entire body through the nervous system, with the vagus nerve playing the main role in the gut-brain connection. This nerve is like a superhighway, sending signals between your brain and digestive system. The brain sends messages to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract via the sympathetic ("fight or flight") and parasympathetic ("rest and digest") nervous systems. These signals can affect how quickly food moves through your digestive system, how well nutrients are absorbed, the secretion of digestive juices, and even the level of inflammation in your gut.
How emotions impact your gut
The strong connection between your brain and gut means that stress and negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, depression, fear, and anger can really affect your digestive system. These feelings can speed up or slow down digestion, make your stomach more sensitive to pain and bloating, allow bacteria to cross the gut lining more easily, increase inflammation, and change the types of bacteria in your gut. This is why stress and strong emotions can make conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, and food allergies worse.
On the flip side, positive emotions like happiness, relaxation, and a sense of well-being can actually benefit your digestion. Feeling good can promote a healthy gut environment, improve digestion, and help keep your digestive system functioning smoothly.
Mind-body approaches for gut health
Given the close relationship between the mind and gut, it's no surprise that mind-body techniques can improve GI symptoms, mood, and anxiety levels. Practices such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and gut-directed hypnotherapy have been shown to alleviate GI symptoms, enhance mood, and reduce anxiety. These approaches work by calming the sympathetic nervous system, boosting the parasympathetic response, and decreasing inflammation.
One particularly powerful way to harness this connection is through deep breathing techniques. By regulating the activity of the vagus nerve, deep breathing can reduce the stress hormone cortisol, promoting better glucose health. Essentially, deep breathing helps shift your body from "fight or flight" mode to "rest and digest" mode, aiding in relaxation and improved digestion.
How this all affects your glucose health
The gut-brain connection plays a key role in how our bodies handle energy and glucose levels, especially during meals. Your gut sends important signals to your brain about the nutrients you consume, helping maintain balance in our energy and glucose levels. This communication involves hormones released by the gut in response to food, which can directly affect the brain or indirectly influence it through nerves connected to the gut.
Understanding the connection between your gut and your brain can give you powerful insight into managing weight and maintaining optimal glucose levels. It’s one more tool you can use on your journey to better overall health and well-being.
Curated & reviewed by: Jennifer Wenzel-Wamhoff
PharmD, BC-ADM, CDCES
PharmD, BC-ADM, CDCES
Jennifer Wenzel-Wamhoff is a highly experienced pharmacist with BC-ADM and CDCES diabetes certifications.
