The Gut-Brain Connection and Your Health
Think of your brain and your gut as a two-way system of roads that are intricately connected. Often, people have unexplained gastrointestinal issues with no clear cause. This is when they need to work with their healthcare provider to figure out if the root cause of their gastrointestinal distress is solely physical or also a mental or emotional one. 90% of the communication between your gut and your brain is actually going from your gut to your brain. The way you are feeling mentally affects how your digestive system feels and vice versa. When you feel nervous and sick to your stomach, that is the gut-brain connection at work. Studies have shown that improving your gut health can aid in better mental health outcomes.
Understanding the Gut-Brain Connection
Your gastrointestinal system and your brain are indelibly linked through the vagus nerve. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this link between your gut and brain can have an impact on the following:
Stress
Digestion
Cognitive and executive function
Immune system strength
Behavior
Gastrointestinal (GI) motility
Appetite
Mood
Metabolism
Food allergy, intolerance, and craving
Sensitivity to pain
You may have seen exercises to ‘tone’ your vagus nerve on social media. While many of these have not been scientifically proven to actually make the vagus nerve fitter, some are thought to have a calming effect on the gut-brain connection. Additionally, there are methods that are thought to stimulate the vagus nerve. Stimulating the vagus nerve can have benefits for both your gut health and your mental health. For example, it has been shown to help people struggling with depression, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and in reducing the inflammation caused by stress.
Improve Your Gut Health and the Gut-Brain Connection
Working on the health of your gut can lead to an improvement in overall wellbeing, as gut health is linked to mental health, and vice versa. For example, 95% of serotonin, a mood-boosting hormone, is made in your gut.
Probiotics
You may have heard about the presence of good bacteria and bad bacteria in our guts. An imbalance between these two types of bacteria has an impact on how we are feeling on a GI level as well as on a mental level. The kind of bacteria you have in your gut can impact your mood and anxiety levels. Probiotics are the good bacteria that live in your gut – they are not necessarily over the counter supplements. When these good bacteria in your gut are fed healthy food, a ‘happy signal’ is sent from your gut to your brain.
Probiotics are found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, which is fermented raw cabbage. They are also found in food with live cultures like kimchi, kefir, and Greek yogurt. Other foods that contain probiotics are kombucha, garlic, soybeans, dragonfruit, oats, and artichokes.
Research shows that eating probiotic food can reduce inflammation related to stress. Probiotics can also help strengthen your immune system, reduce symptoms of anxiety, and benefit your general wellness.
Good foods
The diet you regularly consume has an impact on your gut health and your overall wellbeing. While there are foods that are beneficial for the health of your gut and its microbiome (the good bacteria that live there), there are also foods that you should consume less of. These include added sugar, artificial foods, additives, preservatives, and processed food.
How to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
The health of your vagus nerve is affected by your level of stress and how you handle it. Since methods like meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises regulate the breath, they help in reducing the stress response and symptoms of anxiety. This can bring balance to the gut-brain connection.
Meditation
A regular practice of mediation has numerous benefits. It can aid in reducing stress, anxiety, chronic pain, and inflammation. It can also result in better sleep and an overall improved sense of wellbeing.
Meditation is a mental and emotional space in which you not only meditate, but also cultivate positive thoughts about yourself. A study has shown that positive thoughts about ourselves, that originate from within ourselves, can help in improving vagal tone (vagus nerve health).
YOGA
Some forms of yoga can result in direct stimulation of the vagus nerve. This effect on the vagus nerve can reduce depressive symptoms, help improve mood, and make it easier to cope with stress and anxiety. One such practice is Sudarshan Kriya Yoga. This is a meditative yogic practice that centers on breathwork and breathing routines. Along with stimulating the vagus nerve, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga has been shown to have a beneficial effect on heart rate, cognitive function, and digestion.
Breathwork
When we begin to feel anxious or stressed, our breathing gets affected. You may breathe rapid, short breaths, hold your breath, or breath erratically. Taking slow breaths deep into your belly can stimulate your vagus nerve and also calm you in times of tension.
Inhale through your nose into your belly. Your stomach should inflate as you inhale.
Then exhale slowly through your mouth. Your stomach should deflate as you exhale.
The exhale should be slower and for longer than the inhale, as that is where the calming response originates.
Exercise
Regular exercise, in whatever form your age and physical state enables you to do, is a key factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Good oral hygiene
An essential part of your gut health is to look after your oral and dental health. It is recommended to brush your teeth at least twice a day and to floss. Regular visits to the dentist can also help maintain dental health. Researchers have found a connection between dental disease and GI issues. For example, the bacteria that cause the gum disease gingivitis can travel into your gut and cause problems.
Sing a song!
Singing or humming uses the vocal chords in a such a way that the vagus nerve gets stimulated. You can also try vocalized gargling.
Get a foot massage
A foot massage is not only relaxing, but can also activate your vagus nerve.
Have a good laugh
We have all heard the saying, “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” Try listening to or watching something that makes you laugh. Laughing stimulates the vagus nerve and bolsters your mood, which has a positive impact on your immune system.
Cold water
Immersing one’s face in cold water has become a widely-touted trend. Social media recommendations aside, dipping your face into cold water can help stimulate your vagus nerve.
Drink water
Staying well hydrated is also a component of oral and gut health.
Healthy Lifestyle
As you may have gathered, all these things put together make up a healthy lifestyle. This consists of stress management, regular exercise, good nutrition, proper sleep, and social connection. Experiencing stress, whether mental or physical, has a harmful effect on your gut health. In turn, gut health affects your immune system, how well you sleep, whether you have inflammation, and your mental health. Further, being stressed, anxious, tired, and generally unwell has a negative impact on your gut health (microbiome).
A specific diet cannot cure depression and anxiety disorders. However, a healthy diet can support the other actions you take for your mental health. These include depression therapy or anxiety therapy, a healthy lifestyle, self-care, and following your doctor’s instructions.
Trust Mental Health has a team of BIPOC therapists in California. Our diversity enables us to approach our client sessions with cultural sensitivity and an understanding of individual backgrounds. We offer therapy both in-person and via telehealth. Our services include therapy for eating disorders, depression therapy, and anxiety therapy, among others. Contact us today for a free 15 minute consultation. We will match you with a therapist you can relate to.
FAQs
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The gut-brain connection refers to the two-way communication between the gastrointestinal system (the gut) and the central nervous system (the brain). This communication moves along various pathways, including the vagus nerve. It has a significant role in regulating emotions, mood, and even cognitive function.
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The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It connects the brain to various organs, including the digestive system. It has a role in regulating digestion, controlling inflammation, and transmitting signals between the gut and the brain. These functions also influence our mood and behavior.
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Research indicates that an unhealthy gut can impact your mental health. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut syndrome have been linked to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. The gut microbiome can also influence the production of neurotransmitters, like serotonin, that affect mood.
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You can improve gut health by eating a balanced diet rich in fiber and probiotics, staying hydrated, managing stress, getting regular exercise, and avoiding excessive use of antibiotics. It is also necessary to avoid a diet high in processed foods, added sugars, and preservatives.