Can Stress Cause Constipation? The Physical and Emotional Ties

Understanding the Link Between Stress and Constipation

Constipation affects nearly 16 out of 100 adults. Symptoms include infrequent bowel movements, hard stools, straining, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. The causes behind constipation range from medication side effects to low fiber diets. But can stress also provoke issues with constipation? Let’s explore the connection.

How Stress Impacts Bowel Habits

Stress heavily influences digestive health. Our brains and guts maintain constant two-way communication through neurotransmitters and nerves.

When the body senses heightened stress, the fight-or-flight response kicks in. Stress hormones like cortisol flood the system. Blood flow and energy get diverted away from non-urgent functions like digestion.

This disruption in normal gastrointestinal activity slows motility through the intestines. Stool moving sluggishly through the colon can lead to water reabsorption and hardening bowel movements that are difficult to pass.

Stress and Serotonin Changes

Stress also diminishes serotonin availability. Low serotonin levels are implicated in multiple can stress cause constipation issues like:

• Impaired gut contractions
• Decreased secretion of digestive enzymes
• Low bile production

Furthermore, chronic stress may irritate nerves in the digestive tract or trigger inflammatory immune responses. This can hinder normal motility patterns, prolonging transit time.

Different Types of Stress Impacting Digestion

Not all sources of stress affect the body identically. Researchers categorize stress into different types:

Acute Stress

Acute stress stems from sudden negative events perceived to be threats. Examples include job loss, accidents, trauma, or violence.

Fight-or-flight hormones secreted with acute stress redirect blood flow away from the gastrointestinal system. This can provoke diarrhea initially but lead to constipation as the body rebalances.

Chronic Stress

Ongoing emotional strain from issues like financial struggles, unhappy relationships, caring for a sick loved one, or social isolation makes up chronic stress.

The constant pressure prompts tissue-level changes including slowed colon motility, visceral hypersensitivity, inflammation, and disrupted gut microbiome balance. These changes promote constipation.

Psychosocial Stress

Stresses stemming from past trauma or difficult personal relationships are considered psychosocial stress. This ties into brain-centered body responses.

Psychosocial stress may aggravate constipation by heightening colon and abdomen sensitivity to pain signals. This exacerbates the feeling of discomfort associated with infrequent bowel movements.

Additional Factors Promoting Constipation

Stress alone doesn’t always directly cause constipation. But paired with other contributing issues, it can compound problems.

Medications

Numerous commonly used medications like:

• Opioids
• Antidepressants
• Antacids
• Anti-seizure meds
• Blood pressure drugs
• Antispasmodics

Have constipation as a known side effect. Stress may increase sensitivity to these effects.

Poor Diet

Diets lacking adequate fluids, fiber, and healthy fats move through the digestive tract more slowly. Common problematic eating patterns include:

• Skimping on plant foods
• Processed convenience food reliance
• Scarce vegetable intake

Stress drives many people toward these nutrition-poor comfort foods that can worsen constipation.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Between commute times, desk jobs, and screen time, inactivity has become the norm. But insufficient physical movement means the body lacks the stimulation needed to keep waste moving through muscles of digestion.

Chronic stress is also associated with adopting more sedentary habits, compounding the issue.

Managing Constipation Triggered by Stress

If unrelenting stress is contributing to constipation, targeted lifestyle measures provide relief. Useful proactive strategies include:

Cultivating Calm

Carving out time for relaxation through yoga, deep breathing, massage, meditation, or nature exposure gives digestive strength by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Avoiding Constipation-Promoting Foods

Sidestep foods known to exacerbate constipation like:

• Dairy products
• Meat
• Eggs
• White bread and pasta
• Chips
• Fast food

Limiting intake of binding foods enables any meal leftovers clogging up your system to work through faster.

Eating Constipation-Relieving Foods

Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts/seeds, beans/legumes, prunes, psyllium husk, and omega-3s from fish or plants. These nourishing foods supply nutrients, fiber, and fluid that lubricate intestines.

Exercising Regularly

Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity daily to stimulate digestion through intestinal muscle contraction and motility regulation.

Supporting Gut Microbiome

Chronic stress disturbs delicate populations of bacteria in the intestines. Restore harmony with prebiotic and probiotic supplements shown to ease constipation.

Professional Constipation Remedies

For significant constipation unresolved through lifestyle adjustments, doctors can provide therapeutic interventions like:

Prescription Medications

Options range from stool softeners like Colace to prescription laxatives such as stimulant, osmotic, bulk-forming, or lubricant types depending on appropriateness for the cause and severity.

Prokinetic Agents

These medications aid constipation stemming from slow intestinal motility by helping muscles contract. Metoclopramide and erythromycin are sometimes prescribed.

Biofeedback Therapy

Pelvic floor physical therapy using biofeedback retrains muscles to coordinate better during defecation and reduce straining.

Psychotherapy

Addressing thought and behavior patterns through counseling may alleviate emotional triggers like chronic stress perpetuating physical constipation.

Gaining control over stress coupled with lifestyle changes offers the best chance for lasting can stress cause constipation relief without dependence on medications long-term.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.