Friday August 30, 2024 | Can anxiety and stress cause diarrhea and the need to defecate?
I got this from Copilot. Anxiety and diarrhea often go hand in hand, and it’s not just your imagination. Let’s explore why this happens and how you can manage it: The Gut-Brain Connection : When you’re anxious or stressed, your body releases hormones and chemicals. Some of these signals travel to your digestive tract, disrupting the delicate balance of your gut flora. This disruption can lead to a chemical imbalance, which in turn affects digestion and can result in diarrhea 1 2 . How It Works : The gut-brain axis—the connection between your central nervous system and your enteric nervous system (which acts as your gut’s nervous system)—plays a crucial role. When stress or anxiety hits, chemical messengers relay signals from your brain to your gut. Your gut responds with physical symptoms, including diarrhea, nausea, or constipation. Anxiety vs. Stress : It’s essential to differentiate between stress and anxiety: Stress : A typical human response to life’s situations. Everyone experien...