Digestion and Stress: How high stress levels could be impacting your digestive function.

Your autonomic nervous system has three branches, the Sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric branch. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for regulation what we call the stress or “Fight or flight” response in the body. Unfortunately while the sympathetic nervous system is active due to stress, the parasympathetic system which is responsible for digestion becomes inactive. As life becomes more highly stressed, we find ourselves in a low level stress response state nearly all the time. As a result the parasympathetic branch of our nervous system is running with inhibited function constantly, making smooth digestion difficult. Understanding the interplay of these two branches of the nervous system: sympathetic and parasympathetic, it is important to prioritize health habits that will naturally combat stress and allow the body to find its natural and calm state of function.

Ref. Dr. Bill Hemmer DC