A little bit of a heads up, this week’s blog might seem a little technical. I also need to preference this by saying I am not a medical doctor so please seek advice from your main doctor if required.
I feel it is important that we have at least some information about our brain-gut connection when it comes to supporting our mental health. The information contained in this blog is really only the tip of the iceberg. But it could be still useful for you.
The Brain-Gut Connection.
Our brain and gut are connected both physically and biochemically. Our brain and gut are in constant communication with one another. This communication network is known as the gut-brain axis. The brain–gut axis includes the following:
- The brain
- The spinal cord
- The autonomic nervous system (sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous system (ENS))
- The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis
Most of us would be forgiven in thinking that as we rely on our brain for basic operating instructions we might think that the communication system is dominated by the brain. But it is in fact the other way around. The gut plays a larger part than was previously thought.
Recognize The Connection In Yourself.
Studies are showing that the health of our brain and gut are very much linked. What goes on in one will certainly influence the other. The human digestive system is far more complex than we thought at first. We only have to look at our thoughts to see how these can have a significant impact on our digestion.
Self-Help Tip: I’m sure you already recognize that if you are feeling nervous and having related thoughts it creates that butterfly feeling in your gut. You recognize this as anxiety perhaps before giving a presentation or interview. You may also recognize that if you don’t eat you can feel more agitated or “hangry”, snapping at others more often as a result.
What are the other times you recognize something similar happening? Can you make the connection between the times you felt stressed, angry, upset, fearful, etc., and your behaviours, feelings, thoughts and physical responses? A lot of times we will recognize our physical responses before we recognize our thoughts and feelings. When we start to recognize these connections we can then do something to help.
The Gut As The Second Brain.
The gut has often been referred to as the second brain and for good reason. The number of nerves in our gut outnumber those in our spinal cord. The brain has neurons (nerve cells) and these are thought of as the hardware we need to run the show. But the gut also contains approximately 500 million neurons and these too are very much needed to run our body efficiently. These neurons are connected through the nervous system to the brain and communicate an awful lot of information to the brain.
Gut-Brain Communication.
One way the brain-gut communicates is through the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is part of your central nervous system (CNS) and is the longest in the body and touches every major organ. It is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system (part of the CNS) which helps us step into the rest and digest stage. When we active it we can begin to feel calmer and safer in our environment. Interestingly the vagus nerve sends signals in both directions and is very important to gut-brain communication.
Self-Help Tip: We can activate the vagus nerve though meditation. Any meditation will do, so will yoga, tai chi, etc. Deep breathing meditations, such as the 7/11 technique, work particularly well. They work by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. It is stimulated by taking longer out-breaths and these help to decrease our blood pressure, dilate our pupils, slows our heart rate, and thus lowering emotional arousal in the process.
It’s also one reason meditation has now become so popular as a means of helping our mental health. As by practicing some form of meditation on a daily basis can help reduce our stress, help our anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
Daily practice can help our thinking, emotional response and be more proactive instead of reactive in our behavioural responses. It has been show that when we do practice meditation on a daily basis we response more calmly and proactively in stressful situations.
The Role Of Neurotransmitters.
You might ask: Why do I need to know about these? Well our neurons produce neurotransmitters. Which have been described as the software for the body. Examples of neurotransmitters include serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters produced in the brain control feelings and emotions such as happiness, depression, anxiety, stress and fear plus also help with our body clock.
Self-Help Tip: Interestingly, many of these neurotransmitters are produced by your gut cells and the trillions of microbes that live there help (see below). For instance approximate 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. Serotonin is known as the feel good hormone and we are encouraged to increase this if we have issues with our mental health. You can do so by talking a walk each day.
But serotonin also regulates digestive secretions and our perception of pain or nausea. Trust me as someone who knows, being in constant pain has a huge impact on your mental health. So increasing our serotonin levels is important for both our physical and mental health.
Gut Microbes And Our Health.
Trillions of microbes that live in your gut also make other chemicals that affect how your brain works. They work with the enteric nervous system to aid in digestion, to keep the automatic nervous system functioning normally, and to regulate our mood and sleep cycle.
Studies show that they can communicate with the central nervous system to affect cognitive functions and our behaviour. Research suggests that an unhealthy gut can lead to imbalances in brain chemistry. So restoring our gut health could potentially help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Studies show that large quantities of melatonin, which helps regulate circadian rhythms, are created in and help regulate the gastrointestinal tract. Melatonin regulation is a big one you need to know about if you have sleep issues. Plus serotonin, I spoke about this above, is also produced and regulated by good gut bacteria.
Self-Help Tip: As you can see when we bring up a healthy diet in connection with our mental health we do so for a reason. This is something we can all do something about. Even small changes could make a difference.
Including more foods that help promote good gut bacteria and cutting back on coffee will help. Taking a probiotics after antibiotics can help. Too much caffeine by the way will knock out your wake/sleep cycle and make you more anxious and stressed. But please consult your main doctor for further information before making any changes to your doctor.
Start By Taking A More Holistic Approach.
Rather than treating your physical health and mental health separately we really need to see ourselves more holistically beings. Nourishing a strong gut means taking a holistic approach to our health and wellbeing. Taking steps to manage stress, exercise, eat a healthy, will all help and is one of the reasons they are consider the usually suspects when it comes to our mental health.
Work With Me.
Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.
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