Why does anxiety and stress cause stomach pain and gastrointestinal issues?
In: Biology
When the brain experiences anxiety and stress, it releases cortisol and adrenaline because it’s preparing your muscles for action; the fight or flight response. These hormones affect your gut too, because they are muscles. Leading to intestinal distress.
Evolutionary wise, it’s an advantage to divert the body’s resources from non essential processes like digestion, to fighting or escaping.
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