Does it feel like the world is spinning faster and you are trying to keep up? As if you aren’t already feeling like there’s not enough hours in a day, here comes the school year, right around the corner. Did you know that your mental and emotional stress responses impact the functionality of your digestive tract, potentially causing you to have an overactive gut? It’s a domino effect!
So let’s do something about it before the school year actually begins, let’s get PROACTIVE. If you notice that you are experiencing increased gut sensations from disruptive noises (that can cut silence with a knife) to increased gassiness or looser bowels, here are 4 simple practices you can implement.
1. Eat smaller portions at every meal: This helps to ensure that your stomach is not overproducing nor overly exerting to execute its normal digestive functions.
2. Intermittent fasting: Although this seems like a trend this is actually a good permanent preventative practice for routine nutritional habits. Start creating structure. Eating your last meal around 7:30 helps to:
to keep your circadian clock in rhythm,
ensure your last meal is completely digested before bedtime,
allows your body to rest, regenerate and reset to prepare for ‘work’ the next day.
3. Have fennel seeds nearby: When you notice that your stomach is acting out and throwing a mini temper-tantrum because it doesn’t like something it encountered take a spoonful of fennel seeds (or you can make a light flavorful tea) and experience almost an instantaneous calming and soothing effect.
4. Implement probiotics: Diversity of good bacteria creates a healthier functioning microbiome for gut health.
Ignoring stress inducers and not addressing an overactive gut weakens the function of your digestive tract which can lead to inflammation, a weakened immune system and hormonal imbalances. These conditions tend to manifest commonly experienced signs and symptoms like adult acne (hormonal/inflammatory), inflammatory conditions (i.e., atopic dermatitis, IBS, etc.), and mood swings. So, start off by implementing these practices now to help you be better prepared for the school year.