The gut-brain connection is no joke. It is a window to your Soul and wellness. Any misalignment can cause anxiety and vice versa. Have you ever had a tummy debacle? Do you get sick in certain situations? Have you ever had the feeling of having “butterflies” in your stomach? Emotions affect the gastrointestinal tract. Anger, worry, sadness, and joy are just a few emotions that can cause symptoms in the gut.

The brain affects the stomach and intestines. For example, the simple thought of eating can cause the stomach’s juices to be released before the food arrives. This connection is common. A messed-up gut can convey messages to the brain, just as a messed-up brain can do the same. Therefore, stomach or intestinal discomfort can be the result or cause of anxiety, stress, or depression. It is especially true whenever a physical reason causes a person’s gastrointestinal upset. It’s impossible to heal a distressed gut without considering the role of stress and emotions in such functional GI disorders.

Relationship between the brain and gut

The gut-brain connection comprises many physical and biological processes. The nervous system is the body’s control system. Neurons, also known as nerve cells, are the nervous system and brain’s basic building blocks. 

Over 100 billion neurons build up a human brain. Incredibly, the stomach has 500 million neurons connected to the brain through the nervous system. The enteric nervous system is a part of the nervous system located in the gut. The “second brain” is used to describe the enteric nervous system. The physical and biochemical processes that connect the gut and the brain are known as the gut-brain connection. The connection allows both organs to communicate directly with others. It also ensures that the health and functioning of the two organs are intimately connected. If one of the two organs has a problem, the other displays signs and symptoms.