Who could have thought that being depressed, angry, or anxious makes you susceptible to constipation? There is now a study linking chronic constipation to anxiety and depression. Leading medical experts believe that constipation has an emotional basis.
It seems you will have to do more than dietary modifications, exercising and drinking plenty of water, to conquer constipation. You will also need to improve your psychological well-being because the state of your mind has an impact on the state of your gut.
You might have tried hard to address the common constipation causes but your bloating keeps persisting. Maybe it is time you consider that there may be hidden emotional causes behind your constipation.
Your Body Is Connected To Your Mind
You are likely to blush when you feel embarrassed. After a job interview, most people experience anxiety. You can have a headache after a busy day at work. These examples demonstrate that there is a close connection between your body and your mind. Your thoughts and emotions can manifest physically.
There is a connection between your brain and your gut. Your emotional state can affect the state of your digestive system. The brain plays an important role in the digestive system.
When you are sad, angry or depressed, your gut gets affected. As the level of emotional distress intensifies, constipation worsens.
1. Stress
The heavy cost of chronic stress is hard to bear. Stress affects your body, mind, and soul. It causes a plethora of problems including constipation.
Inside your body, little healthy bacteria help in breaking down food. When you are facing stress, these vital germs also encounter stress.
Stress interferes with intestinal health by affecting bacteria that breaks down food causing constipation
When stressed about a lawsuit, a job problem, exams, or even a wedding, you are likely to develop constipation. During a stressful situation, most people suppress bowel movements. This causes constipation.
Stress will interrupt important bathroom breaks resulting to hardening of stool therefore, you will have to strain when on a long call causing rectal nerve damage, which leads to constipation.
2. Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by feeling of hopelessness and loss of vigor towards daily activities. Depressed individuals have feelings of guilt, are indecisive, and lack interest in work and recreation.
- If you suffer from depression, you are likely to suffer from a digestive disorder like constipation. This is because; depression changes the nerve pathway that controls gut function. This will have a direct impact on your digestive system.
- Depression makes the gastrointestinal tract to function inappropriately due to decreased levels of neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine). Loss of neurotransmitters results to slow transit of food, which causes constipation.
- When people feel depressed, they eat more comfort foods. This results to further disruption of the digestive machinery resulting to worsening of constipation.
You should not ignore any sign of depression. This is because; continued depression can lead to total breakdown of the digestive system. Depression causes constipation. When constipated, there is hampering of stool evacuation. As a result, there is reabsorption of fecal matter. Therefore, reabsorption of toxins also happens. This cycle will lead to total deterioration of digestive system.
3. Anxiety
Anxiety= Constipation
When you are anxious, your body prioritizes particular functions and deprioritizes others. Digestion is not a priority. This is because your body is busy preparing for danger. Therefore, your digestion dramatically slows down eventually leading to constipation.
Anxiety will affect your general behaviors. You will sit uncomfortably, eat unhealthily, and drink little water. These bad habits will aggravate your digestion and constipation is likely to result.
4. Fear
It seems the "don't worry, be happy" advice also applies to constipation. Actually, worry causes constipation. Worrying about money, work or relationship, can make you constipated.
5. Anger
Anger activates the release of stress hormones. This will slow down or stop digestive juices in your stomach. Therefore, breakdown of food is affected and you become constipated.
6. Grief
If you have been holding onto grief for a long time, this may be the cause of your constipation. Let go of grief and you will greatly improve your digestive health.
You Might Be Making Your Constipation Worse by Treating Depression the Wrong Way
If you are depressed or anxious and you take prescription mood enhancing drugs, you are doing a great disfavor to your gut and this may manifest in constipation. These prescription drugs suppress gut flora and dehydrate stool. Prescription mood enhancers and prescription laxatives, worsen constipation. Instead of using prescription laxatives, use natural laxatives.
Do not fix your stress using prescription drugs. These medicines have a plethora of health risks. Seek professional counseling for depression.
The answers to your constipation
Change your Mind: Change Your Constipation
Constipation just as a good number of diseases and complications can be a mental problem. If that is the case, you will need to change your mind.
Leading scientists connect constipation with being stuck in the past and refusing to release old ideas. The answer to your constipation caused by grief, depression or any emotional factor is to create a new thought pattern. You need to harness the power of affirmations to overcome grief, anger, depression, and other issues that are making you stuck in the past. Release your past and let new and fresh ideas to enter your mind. Allow life to flow through you.
Take Proper Care Of Your Body
If you are depressed, you are likely to neglect your body. This will further worsen your constipation. You need to take good care of your body by eating the right foods. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Also, exercise regularly.
Sleep Right
Do not spend your nights feeling sorry about yourself and crying. This will not help you. Make sure to get adequate sleep at night and eventually you will see your depression diminish and this will positively affect your digestive health.
Final Thoughts
Can emotional problems cause anxiety? The answer is a resounding YES. When you are anxious, stressed, angry, or worried, many changes happen in your body. These result in digestion issues that cause constipation.
