The nervous system is essentially our engine room, and everything goes through it, from emotions to digestion. Why do we experience changes in our stomach or intestines when we’re stressed or excited? Diarrhea, gas, heartburn, burning, bloating – we could list them all.

Even if none of these happen, our digestion doesn’t work properly when we’re stressed. Even if we eat the most beneficial food in the world, if we can’t digest it, we don’t get its benefits. Digestion doesn’t just mean easy bowel movements; it means being able to synthesize all the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals in the food.

Our nervous system has three states: the sympathetic system (fight-or-flight), and the parasympathetic system (rest-digest and freeze). When we’re stressed, our fight-or-flight system is active. When this system is active, our breaths are short and choppy, our heart rate is rapid, blood pressure is high, cortisol and adrenaline levels are high, there are hormonal changes, cellular degeneration occurs, and, most importantly, digestion doesn’t work. The body is so stimulated by an external threat that the brain shuts down digestion. Digestion uses 70% of the body’s energy, and when under such a threat, the brain’s first instinct is to shut down the digestive system to conserve energy. The brain perceives a vital threat from our reactions to every message, whether it’s a wrong email or being stuck in traffic. Modern humans’ sympathetic nervous system is dozens of times more stimulated than our ancestors’.

For efficient digestion, the nervous system needs to shift to parasympathetic mode. This happens through rest, long, calm breaths, a calm heart rate, movement, and the resulting hormonal regulation—something we rarely do in our hectic lives. Our nervous system is constantly stimulated, as if there’s a threat.

That’s why I always emphasize in my programs that you should make an effort to shift your sympathetic nervous system to parasympathetic mode throughout the day. Take long, calm breaths. Give your entire system a “no danger” signal throughout the day. It’s just traffic, or my boss cheated me. It’s not a life-threatening situation.

With love,

Sema Özpekmezci Hadjichristofi