World IBS Day: This could be triggering your gut, impacting your mood and behaviour
Did you know that your emotions and gut have a deep and complex relationship? Yes, this is through what is known as the gut-brain axis. It refers to the two-directional communication between the brain and the gut, where both can influence each other’s functions.
The gut houses trillions of bacteria, which can impact mood, behaviour, and even physical health. Thus, the gut is often called ‘the second brain’ as it contains hormones like serotonin which influence mood, sleep, appetite and digestion.
According to Dr. K Hemanth Kumar, Consultant, Surgical Gastroenterology, at Manipal Hospital, stress, anxiety, and other emotions trigger the release of chemicals in the brain that affect the gut, potentially causing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
What causes IBS?
While stress, anxiety, and depression often lead to IBS symptoms like abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, and constipation; the nature of IBS can lead to emotional distress, forming a vicious cycle.
IBS does not cause any visible damage to the digestive tract and treatment requires addressing both physical and emotional well-being. This can be done through cognitive behaviour therapies, stress management techniques like yoga, meditation, and self-care strategies in addition to medication.
Dr. Satish Kumar CR, Consultant, Clinical Psychology, Manipal Hospital, says IBS can be a manifestation of nervous system dysregulation due to the body's response to prolonged stress or trauma.
Coping mechanisms
Individuals have different types of coping mechanisms that can be either extrinsic or intrinsic. An extrinsic coping mechanism is when a person looks for external resources like family or friends for emotional support, offering a sense of safety at home. But, with people who have poor social support due to strained relations with family and friends or marital issues – they rely on intrinsic coping mechanisms.
One coping mechanism is to actively foster traits like optimism, high self-esteem, self-efficacy, and acceptance which act as internal protective factors to deal with stress.
However when someone with chronic stress lacks both external and internal support, they become vulnerable to stress and it affects the autonomic nervous system with symptoms like constipation, diarrhoea, or both.
Factors affecting IBS
Unhealed trauma is another major factor wherein the brain keeps perceiving the environment as unsafe, putting the body in a constant fight-or-flight state. In these patients, skin diseases or rheumatological or musculoskeletal diseases can also occur, in addition to the digestive system going out of whack.
A holistic approach to tackle these is somatic therapy which recognises that the body itself holds and expresses trauma. When the body represses emotion, it can result in physical symptoms. This kind of therapy modifies trauma-related responses.
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