Always trust your gut.

There’s been a suspected connection between our minds and our guts for a long time. All of us have experienced those butterflies in our stomach when we’re nervous or the sinking feeling that comes with bad news. But more and more research is coming out by the year to detail exactly how deeply our stomachs and minds are connected.

The gut-brain connection is less of a conversation and more of a true partnership — as one goes, so does the other.

Here’s how it works and what you can do to strengthen the health of both.

The Gut Brain Axis

Your body has two brains: the one in your head and the one in your gut.

This second brain is called the enteric nervous system (ENS). It is a collection of roughly 600 million neurons that live throughout the entirety of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, communicating constantly with your central nervous system (a.k.a. your first brain).

Your Neural Highway: The Vagus Nerve

The central link between your gut and brain is the vagus nerve. And the messages go both ways, with news from your digestive system heading upwards and updates from your mental state shooting back down.

Many times, natural vagal reflexes will occur without ever even reaching your brain. As your body digests its food or as conditions within your GI tract change, information will be sent directly from your ENS to the rest of your body through the vagus nerve, performing many of the automated tasks that keep you going.

All that said, like a pot-holed highway, travel doesn’t always run smoothly. Your vagal tone, the strength of your vagus nerve’s functioning, can be impaired by many factors including your gut’s health. If this pathway is not working correctly, it may put you at risk for greater gastrointestinal issues and mental health troubles, including anxiety and depression.

Healthy Gut, Healthy Life: The Role of Your Microbiome

Your microbiome, the trillions of bacteria that make up your stomach’s lining, is at the center of your gut health. Not only is it critical for digestion, but it plays a crucial role in your immune system and has been found to have a direct influence on your mental health.

Many of the neurotransmitters that are used to send chemical messages up and down the gut-brain axis are actually produced by or with the help of the bacteria in your stomach. If the health of your microbiome is poor, complications can arise. Studies have found that neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and more might be affected by your gut’s health.

How to Improve Your Gut-Brain Connection

Probiotics & Prebiotics

The strength of your gut’s microbiome can be greatly improved by a consistent diet of probiotics (the live bacteria that make up your gut’s lining) and prebiotics (the fibers that serve as “food” for that bacteria).

Examples of Probiotics:

Yogurt
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
Kombucha
Kefir

Examples of Prebiotics:

Onions
Leeks
Garlic
Bananas
Beans

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

As the anchor of your body’s immune system, your gut plays a crucial role in your overall health. A major hinderance to the gut-brain connection is chronic inflammation, which can cause physical, emotional, and digestive distress. Look to add more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet such as berries, leafy greens, nuts, and salmon. Likewise, avoid toxins, processed foods, sugars, and refined carbohydrates that will add to inflammation.

Practice Mindfulness

Prioritize your mental health by implementing mindfulness techniques. Yoga, journaling, and meditation are great ways to improve your daily health. These activities have been found to lower cortisol levels and improve vagal tone.

Exercise

Diet and exercise, diet and exercise, diet and exercise.

When it comes to your health, the two go hand in hand. Regular exercise not only supports healthy digestion but has also been shown to be a great way to fight stress and anxiety. Even moderate activity can go a long way. Do your best not to be sedentary all day, making a point to stand up and move at least once an hour.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

As the central connector between your gut and your brain, the vagus nerve is key to your wellbeing. Stimulating the nerve can help improve vagal tone. As discussed already, mindfulness and exercise are two ways to in which to do so. Other ways include cold water plunges, laughing, gargling, and vagus nerve tapping, which is when you hold your breath and tap lightly on your chest to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Want More Personal Help?

If you would like to improve your gut-brain connection but aren’t sure where to start, reach out for a free 20-minute consultation. Whether it’s through my Introductory Nutrition Program or my more in-depth Digestive Repair Package, I work with my clients to improve all aspects of their mental and physical wellbeing.

Learn to understand how your diet and lifestyle are impacting both your gut and brain health, find personal solutions that work for you, and experience relief that lasts.

The Gut-Brain Axis: How Your Stomach Impacts Your Mental Health