Our topic is the relationship between the digestive and nervous systems. Up until now, I’ve always explained digestion as follows: “If you eat well, if you nourish and satisfy the bacteria in your gut, and starve the bad bacteria, your gut health will be much better; you’ll digest what you eat, your stomach will feel more comfortable, and you’ll have easier bowel movements.” But this is only part of it, the visible part. There’s a much larger, lesser-known, and invisible part, like the tip of the iceberg. A point as important as, or even more important than, nutrition. I’ll talk a little about that.

The Relationship Between the Digestive and Nervous Systems

Our bodies function through the coordinated work of many systems. There can never be a situation where “one system is more valuable, or one system must function properly”; they are all part of a whole. Our nervous system is directly connected to our digestive system. Our nervous system has modes; the ‘fight and flight’ mode we are in when stressed, and the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ mode we are in when relaxed and calm. Look, the name of the mode itself is ‘rest and digest.’ This means our digestive system only works when we’re calm; it shuts down when we’re constantly stressed. If we don’t routinely put our nervous system into this mode, we’ll experience serious digestive problems. Why do we get stomach cramps when we’re stressed, why do we suddenly feel the need to go to the toilet when we’re scared/anxious?

The nervous system and the digestive system have a connection that we can’t control, it’s controlled by our primitive brain. The moment the brain senses a threat, it switches us to the sympathetic nervous system, which we call ‘fight or flight.’ It’s a protective state. During that time, many things in the body are put on hold. The brain does this itself; we can’t interfere. Yes, stress is all around us, constantly in our lives. But even though there are things we can do about it, everyone postpones it; they say, “I can’t get rid of stress from my life.” Okay, we can’t get rid of it; but we can control its effects on our bodies.

To have a healthy digestive system, we need to activate our parasympathetic nervous system. Some of the activities I’ve listed below will help us do this:

🎈 Practice diaphragmatic breathing 3-4 times a day, especially before meals, whenever you think of it (take a long breath through your nose, inflate your abdomen, and then exhale slowly and gently).

🎈 Sing or hum.

🎈 Sit quietly for 5 minutes doing nothing (without your phone in your hand).

🎈 Rest, create time for yourself, allow yourself to rest.

🎈 Spend time in nature.

🎈 Pray.

🎈 Play with animals.

There are other things too; but to avoid making excuses like, “Oh, these are all things I can’t do,” I’ve listed the ones you can do most often during the day. Of course, the following are also the most technical and beautiful ones 🙂

🎈Meditation, somatic yoga practice

🎈Mindfulness exercises

Even if we eat the healthiest food in the world, it won’t be very effective if we can’t digest it properly. For good digestion, the parasympathetic nervous system must be active. We need to incorporate rest/relaxation into our lives somehow, from somewhere, during the day. This is NOT a LUXURY, it’s a NECESSITY.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week 💗

With love,

Sema