Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GORD/GERD)
Do you suffer with indigestion? Feel bloated after eating so burp or pass wind to try and relieve the bloat? Do you find it difficult to digest meat? Do you have digestive issues, such as acid reflux (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder GORD/GERD) and a sensation of burning in the middle of your chest? Or have you been diagnosed with silent reflux and find you have difficulty swallowing and a permanent sore throat? Do you have chronic diarrhoea? Or do you find your stomach often just hurts?
These are all digestive issues that can make your life a misery and are often the result of chronic stress.
Control of digestion is primarily through the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes ‘rest and digest’. However, many of us live in a ‘fight or flight’ mode (controlled by our sympathetic system) and we cannot be in rest and digest if we are preparing for fight or flight! It’s this constant fight or flight mode that can lead to your digestion being compromised.
Inhaling your food, whilst sitting at your desk scrolling social media, does not promote rest and digest! Nor, indeed, does eating on-the-go, eating too fast, eating too much, or eating foods that are too rich, acidic or spicy. Eating too close to bedtime is not recommended. All of these behaviours exert unnecessary pressure on your digestive system.
Another reason digestion can become compromised is due to low stomach acid. Capacity to produce hydrochloric acid (HCl) does decline with age and chronic stress although it’s probably more to do with the delay in production: when you inhale your food or eat too quickly, your stomach doesn't have time to produce HCl and, instead, it's produced after you've eaten. This means there's an increased risk of the unused HCl exiting the stomach and making its way back into the oesophagus, which causes reflux. It can also be due to dysfunction of the oesophageal sphincter.
So, what can be done to manage or improve your digestive system?
• Reduce stress around meal times. Avoid technology at meal times and stop eating on the run. Eat mindfully and sit at a table, if possible
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals
• Chew your food thoroughly. When digestion is compromised, chewing your food properly can be critical to the breakdown and absorption of nutrients
• Avoid foods such as caffeinated and carbonated drinks, heavily spiced and tomato-based foods, chocolate, mint and alcohol as these may relax the oesophageal sphincter, allowing stomach acid to flow back and cause acid reflux
• Avoid eating during the three hours leading up to bedtime as lying down too soon after eating, when food is not yet digested and acid production is at its highest, can cause food/stomach acid to come back into the oesophagus and cause heartburn
• See a nutritionist to get digestive and lifestyle support
These are all digestive issues that can make your life a misery and are often the result of chronic stress.
Control of digestion is primarily through the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes ‘rest and digest’. However, many of us live in a ‘fight or flight’ mode (controlled by our sympathetic system) and we cannot be in rest and digest if we are preparing for fight or flight! It’s this constant fight or flight mode that can lead to your digestion being compromised.
Inhaling your food, whilst sitting at your desk scrolling social media, does not promote rest and digest! Nor, indeed, does eating on-the-go, eating too fast, eating too much, or eating foods that are too rich, acidic or spicy. Eating too close to bedtime is not recommended. All of these behaviours exert unnecessary pressure on your digestive system.
Another reason digestion can become compromised is due to low stomach acid. Capacity to produce hydrochloric acid (HCl) does decline with age and chronic stress although it’s probably more to do with the delay in production: when you inhale your food or eat too quickly, your stomach doesn't have time to produce HCl and, instead, it's produced after you've eaten. This means there's an increased risk of the unused HCl exiting the stomach and making its way back into the oesophagus, which causes reflux. It can also be due to dysfunction of the oesophageal sphincter.
So, what can be done to manage or improve your digestive system?
• Reduce stress around meal times. Avoid technology at meal times and stop eating on the run. Eat mindfully and sit at a table, if possible
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals
• Chew your food thoroughly. When digestion is compromised, chewing your food properly can be critical to the breakdown and absorption of nutrients
• Avoid foods such as caffeinated and carbonated drinks, heavily spiced and tomato-based foods, chocolate, mint and alcohol as these may relax the oesophageal sphincter, allowing stomach acid to flow back and cause acid reflux
• Avoid eating during the three hours leading up to bedtime as lying down too soon after eating, when food is not yet digested and acid production is at its highest, can cause food/stomach acid to come back into the oesophagus and cause heartburn
• See a nutritionist to get digestive and lifestyle support
