Just Breathe: The connection between anxious eating & uncomfortable digestive symptoms

After initial breakdown in the stomach, food moves into the small intestine. The small intestine’s main function is to absorb nutrients from the food, and it’s therefore an incredibly important organ. With the help of the pancreatic enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver, food continues to be broken down as it enters the small intestine. Then, the small intestine absorbs nutrients from that food in the form of sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids. How can we survive if we can’t absorb the nutrients our bodies need to function? The answer is - we can’t! Before my digestive issues began, I never realized just how essential the small intestine is to our health. While we often hear about and discuss the colon (i.e. large intestine), the small intestine is ignored despite its importance to our health and well-being. From the small intestine, food moves into the large intestine, where it’s broken down further by the microbiome and prepared for elimination. 

When it comes to digestive issues like bloating, gas, indigestion and even constipation, one area to consider relates to the nervous system. The enteric nervous system (ENS) lies within the digestive system, and it helps regulate digestion. In other words, it plays an incredibly important role in digesting foods optimally. Often called the “second brain,” the ENS controls things like secretions, blood flow, hormone release, and motility (the movement of food through the digestive system), especially in the small intestine. It also regulates responses to foods that we eat; for example, it’s the ENS that would be responsible for nausea and vomiting associated with food poisoning. 

Now, what many of us don't realize or forget is that when we’re relaxed, we actually digest better than when we’re not relaxed. Why? Because when we’re relaxed, a part of the nervous system called the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) has kicked in. The PSNS gets you into the “rest and digest” mode. When we’re in that mode, we produce more saliva to help break down food in the mouth, and our rate of digestion also increases. For example, the pancreas produces more insulin to help break down sugars faster and use them for energy. When you’re stressed, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has kicked in, which gets you into a “fight or flight” mode. During this mode, energy is diverted away from the digestive system to other parts of the body that are needed to cope with stressors. 

In today’s world, we often eat while anxious or stressed. Sometimes we may not have a choice (i.e. scarfing down a quick lunch in between meetings during the work day), but regardless - we do eat when we’re not relaxed, and so our parasympathetic nervous system doesn’t kick in effectively. And guess what? That has a direct impact on how we feel when we eat. We won’t digest our food as easily or efficiently, and that can result in uncomfortable digestive systems like bloating, gas, indigestion, etc. 

So - one way to significantly improve digestion is to be as relaxed as possible before and during eating periods. Here are some steps you can take to help your PSNS kick into gear before you eat:

• Breathe! Deep breathing is an easy way to kickstart your PSNS and enter into the “rest and digest” mode. You’ll want to breathe slower, deeper and more “diaphragmatic” (i.e. belly breathing) to signal to the body that you’re safe and energy can be diverted to digestion instead of the “fight or flight” mode responses. 
• Slow down when you eat - if you’re a fast eater, chances are you’re eating while anxious or stressed. Unless, of course, the meal you’re eating is so delicious you just have to scarf it down! But regardless - eating slowly signals to your body that you’re in a relaxed state. And, by eating slower, you’re breaking your food down better in your mouth, which results in better digestion downstream in your stomach and intestines. It’s a win-win! 
• Practice mindful eating - the act of mentally focusing on eating and the mind-body connection during meals. In today’s modern society, we’ve lost the practice of mindful eating because we have so many distractions around us. For example, we put on a TV show while we eat and focus on that instead of the food that’s in front of us. But by practicing mindful eating, we can help the PSNS make us more relaxed and improve our digestion of the foods we’re eating.