Whenever stress is imposed in humans, two systems take the charge to maintain the homeostasis; HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system. Role of this cascade is to prepare body for action or to deal with any emergency like increasing the heart rate in order to increase blood flow to extremities, constriction of blood vessels supplying to non essentials organs like skin, dilation of blood vessels to essential organs like heart, skeletal muscles and liver, reflexes increases, pupil dilates, increased respiration and most importantly slows down or almost stop the processes which are not important during stressful events like inhibiting muscular contractions of GI tract and release of digestive enzymes and thats the reason why people are always into some kind of stress are prone to some kind of digestive issues at first hand like acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation etc. So getting rid of stress triggers, employing some kind of relaxation techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, yoga and meditation can be one of the few techniques to deal with digestive issues. Even watching sports, horror flicks or thriller while eating can interfere with digestion through the same mechanism as it can also activate sympathetic nervous system.
So make sure that your kids and your family should avoid watching tv or discussing any stressful event while having meals and teach your children to chew food properly and eat whole heartedly.
It can make a difference to your health. Thats the reason why few restaurants play soothing music while dining.
Impact of Stress on Digestive System
Advertisements