First, you may be wondering what the heck is SIBO?
SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Essentially, it leads to an imbalanced gut microbiome. Contrary to what many may believe, you can have an overgrowth of healthy gut bacteria just as much as you may have an overgrowth of unhealthy gut bacteria. Regardless, both will leave you with nasty symptoms such as gas, bloat, and constipation, all common signs of SIBO. This is often why people experience digestive distress with foods that are considered gut-balancing, such as yogurt. When you add more gut bacteria to an already present overgrowth, you are adding fuel to the flame!
But, how does this relate to stress?
Chronic stress, whether physical, mental or emotional places the body in “fight or flight” mode with no end in sight. This means the body is in a heightened state of alertness and is ready to attack day in and day out. The problem with this is that when the body is living in this type of survival mode, it shuts down certain systems in the body, such as the digestive and reproductive systems. These systems simply are not needed in order to combat the perceived “attack.” As a result, the following occurs:
peristaltic waves in the intestines lessen or stop completely.
the body’s natural production of hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, bile, and even healthy gut bacteria all decrease.
increases in the stress hormone cortisol, blood sugar, and insulin.
increased permeability in our gut lining, also known as leaky gut syndrome, develops over time because stress opens up the tight junctions holding our gut lining together, allowing undigested food particles and protein molecules to enter the bloodstream. This causes an inflammatory response in the body and becomes a stressor in and of itself!
How does this result in SIBO?
Most importantly, the body must produce enough hydrochloric acid as the first line of defense against food-borne pathogens entering the body.
Adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid are necessary in order for the body to create peristaltic waves in the intestines, which are crucial when it comes to moving food through the entire digestive tract, including the 26-foot-long large intestine. If waves cease to exist or move slowly, food then sits in the intestines and putrefies and ferments, resulting in gas, bloat, and constipation.
Adequate levels of hydrochloric acid are crucial in order to close the ileocecal valve, which is the valve that connects the small intestine to the large intestine. The large intestine has considerably more bacteria than the small intestine. Here lies the problem. If the ileocecal valve is not closing, bacteria, in particular bifido-based bacteria, moves back up into the small intestine causing SIBO. High levels of stress will prevent this valve from closing. So, if the stress response is not addressed, one can easily have reoccurring bouts of SIBO even if they successfully completed a protocol to remove the SIBO from the body.
Chronic stress causes the body to initially produce high levels of the stress hormone cortisol as a way to combat the urgent event. Cortisol then calls on more blood sugar and insulin to be released into the bloodstream in order to have more energy to ward off such a threat. As I mentioned earlier, this threat never goes away when chronic stress is at play. This means the body is constantly pumping more and more glucose into the bloodstream. Sugar feeds the unhealthy bacterial overgrowth, keeping the overgrowth alive and thriving!
Stress, as you can see, has a tremendous impact on our gut health. Living in survival mode creates an environment that simply fosters bacterial overgrowth. When we lower our stress response and move into a state of primarily calm, SIBO can be eliminated with the correct protocol and is less likely to reoccur.
What is your favorite way to de-stress?