Ever had that telltale tingling sensation of butterflies in your stomach? That’s the gut-brain connection, i.e. the gut-brain axis, at work. There are hundreds of millions of neurons in the gut that communicate with the brain both directly and indirectly. It’s a complex two-way system involving hormones, the immune system, and the nervous system which includes the intestines, spinal cord, brain, and the longest nerve in the body: the vagus. This is why the gut is sometimes referred to as your second brain.
Changes in your gut can cause intestinal leakage (more commonly known as ‘leaky gut’), as well as cause diarrhea, constipation, inflammation, and a drop in the neurotransmitters that support a positive mood. All of these factors can impact mental health in the form of depression, brain fog, and you guessed it: stress. The stressed brain then reacts in ways that contribute to distressing gastrointestinal symptoms. It’s a vicious cycle.
But there is a simple way to help manage it.