The Healthy You Is the Better You

Posted on: 23 April 2020

If you have been experiencing an unusual amount of stress, then you could suffer from a nervous stomach. Emotional stress affects your entire gastrointestinal tract and cause unpleasant sensations. Think of all the times you've had "butterflies in your stomach" when faced with a sudden stress situation like public speaking. That's a nervous stomach on a small scale.

It's important to know the difference between a nervous stomach and other conditions that need a gastroenterologist's intervention. Here is more information about distinguishing a nervous stomach from another condition. Also included are things you can do to calm your digestive tract.

Symptoms of Nervous Stomach

A nervous stomach often mimics other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and even celiac disease. Symptoms of a nervous stomach can involve the following issues:

• Nausea and Vomiting
• Appetite Loss
• Diarrhea
• Stomach Cramps
• Extreme Hunger

Most of the time, these symptoms are mild and don't totally disrupt your life.

Nervous Stomach Versus Other Issues

Because a nervous stomach mimics so many other gastrointestinal problems, be careful with assuming that it's your nerves. Here are some examples of other diseases that can cause nervous stomach symptoms.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome causes diarrhea, bloating, and cramps. Certain foods tend to irritate this condition. Though allergies make this condition worse, it's not always caused by them.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is an autoimmune disease that causes diarrhea and bloating. This condition could cause bowel blockages.

Ulcers

Ulcers can cause changes to your appetite as well as nausea and vomiting in addition to blood in the stool.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease causes diarrhea, vomiting, and bloating. You are most likely to show the worst symptoms within a day after eating certain grains like wheat and rye.

The key difference between these diseases and a nervous stomach is they are often chronic and continuous. They often get worse without treatment.

Tips for Calming Your Stomach

If you suspect you have a nervous stomach, then work on keeping yourself calm. Eat as healthy as possible. Reduce caffeinated drinks. Try different calming techniques like meditation and controlled breathing. Get plenty of exercise or talk to a friend. If your anxiety is particularly severe or has an organic (caused by a physical problem) cause, then seek professional help.

Stomach problems make life miserable, but they usually go away on their own or after the stress has passed. If your gastrointestinal discomfort seems severe and ongoing, then see a gastroenterologist for an examination. You could have a chronic medical condition that needs treatment.