Stress and constipation
Most of our bodily functions are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, a network of nerves that connect the brain to major organs. The autonomic nervous system contains the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares your body for fight-or-flight response and high-anxiety situations.
The parasympathetic nervous system helps calm your body down after experiencing fight-or-flight. The parasympathetic nervous system also prepares your body for digestion by communicating with the enteric nervous system located in the gastrointestinal tract.
Stress factor
When you eat, the neurons that line your digestive tract signal your intestines to contract and digest your food. When you’re under stress, this digestive process can slow down to a crawl. If the stress you have is severe or long-term, symptoms such as stomach pain and constipation can become chronic.
Stress can also cause inflammation to occur in your gastrointestinal tract, increasing constipation and worsening existing inflammatory conditions you may have.
The message here is to stress less!