The modern lifestyle often leads many individuals to experience frequent stress due to the pressures of daily life. When this persists over a period, it can have a significant impact on stomach health. So, what is the relationship between stress and stomach diseases? Let’s delve deeper into this issue with Insmart in the following article.

1. Why does stress cause stomach pain?

Prolonged stress can lead to stomach diseases due to the following reasons:

The human digestive system is controlled by the enteric nervous system (vagus nerve or X nerve), a system comprising hundreds of millions of nerves connected to the central nervous system. When signals from the brain, sent by the central nervous system, stimulate the stomach to contract more smoothly when hungry or upon seeing food, information from the brain stimulates the stomach to release acid for food digestion. Therefore, when faced with stress or anxiety, the digestive system may slow down as the central nervous system is inhibited due to reduced blood flow, affecting digestive contractions and reducing mucus secretion, leading to stomach diseases, especially H. pylori infection.

Additionally, chronic and continuous stress contributes to an increase in cortisol secretion. This hormone not only suppresses the immune response protecting the stomach but also raises the levels of HCl acid and pepsin. This condition creates an environment for HCl acid to damage the mucosa, causing contractions in the esophagus, increasing acidity in the stomach, and resulting in indigestion.

While not all cases of stomach diseases are caused by stress, prolonged stress can worsen your digestive system, making it more susceptible to gastric inflammation.

Not everyone fully understands the connection between stress and stomach diseases

2. Symptoms of stress-induced stomach pain

Not everyone fully understands the relationship between stress and stomach diseases. In the early stages of the disease, the initial symptoms of stomach pain are often fleeting, making people appear subjective or unable to recognize them for timely treatment.

Some symptoms of stomach pain due to stress may include:

• Feeling bloated, burping, sour belching, and heartburn.

Digestive system disorders can affect the digestion of various types of food. Undigested food can accumulate in the digestive tract, causing the patient to feel bloated, uncomfortable, and experiencing constant belching and burping, especially after meals.

• Upper abdominal pain, discomfort in the upper abdomen, a burning sensation.

Abdominal pain can manifest in various locations. Patients may experience pain in the upper abdomen, lower abdomen, or the region around the stomach. The pain can intensify, especially after consuming spicy or acidic foods, or in cases of food poisoning.

• Lack of appetite, food aversion, fatigue due to poor digestive system function.

When the digestive system encounters issues, individuals may experience a bitter taste in the mouth, loss of appetite, and a general dislike for food.

• Symptoms of constipation or diarrhea may occur.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders affecting excretion can lead to constipation or frequent bowel movements throughout the day. If this condition persists, especially in the case of diarrhea, it can cause fatigue and weaken the body.

• Slow digestion process, irregular eating habits, weight loss.

Additionally, individuals experiencing stress and anxiety often suffer from various other symptoms such as constant fatigue, occasional palpitations, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, insomnia, headaches, etc.

Notably, stomach diseases tend to progress rapidly. Without comprehensive treatment, the condition can worsen with severe cramping pain (in the upper abdomen, mid-abdomen, lower left abdomen, etc.), sometimes leading to nausea, gastric ulcers, gastric bleeding, and more critically, stomach cancer, significantly impacting the patient’s health.

 

When stomach disease due to stress reaches an advanced stage, it often manifests as pain in the mid-abdominal region

3. Treatment and Prevention of Stress-Induced Gastric Pain

               3.1. Treatment of stress-induced gastric pain

To effectively treat gastric pain caused by stress, appropriate adjustments and a balanced lifestyle are essential. If stress and fatigue are significantly reduced, combined with a scientific and healthy lifestyle, treating the disease becomes easier and more optimistic.

• When stress-induced gastric pain occurs, patients should use medications prescribed by their doctors to limit the pain.
• Patients need to adjust their daily routine (avoid bending, intense physical activity, or lying down after meals, avoid overeating, etc.) and organize their work to reduce stress.
• Maintain a healthy diet with sufficient nutrients and limit foods that are highly stimulating to the stomach, such as alcoholic beverages, stimulants, foods with high acidity, etc.

These are immediate ways to address gastric pain. For long-term treatment, patients need to establish a suitable diet and maintain a balanced daily routine.

3.2. Prevention of Stress-Induced Gastric Pain

Although stress is an inevitable aspect of daily life for everyone, controlling it well can reduce its impact on your digestive system. Here are some tips to help prevent stress-induced gastric pain:

• Lifestyle: Maintain a reasonable daily routine, get enough sleep (8 hours per day), avoid staying up late, go to bed before 10 pm, and consider taking a short nap around 30 minutes in the afternoon to relax your mind and reduce stress. Adequate and quality sleep is crucial for maintaining good health and enjoying a stress-free life.
• Manage stress by engaging in relaxing activities such as listening to music, walking, participating in outdoor activities, taking breaks, cultivating positive thoughts, and moderate physical exercise. These activities stimulate the release of endorphins in the brain, reducing stress and improving your mood.
• Eating habits: Eat meals at regular times, in moderation, without skipping meals or overeating. Include plenty of green vegetables and fruits in your diet, limit oily and spicy foods, and restrict the consumption of alcohol, carbonated drinks, caffeine-containing beverages, and other stimulants.
• Supplement essential nutrients for the body such as protein, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Maintain a balanced diet among these nutrient groups.
• Be cautious with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, as they can contribute to gastric pain. Use medications carefully, avoid overdosing, and consult a doctor before taking any medication.
• Consult with a psychologist or psychiatrist: Dealing with chronic stress on your own can be challenging. Instead, seek professional help by visiting a psychologist or psychiatrist. They can identify the underlying issues and recommend appropriate therapeutic interventions based on your condition.

Building a healthy and scientific diet helps effectively treat gastric diseases

Reference: vinmec.com; nhathuoclongchau.com.vn & phuongchau.com

4. HEALTH SCREENING PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION SERVICE INSMART

Insmart is a leading provider of Health Screening Program Administration services for businesses in Vietnam. With the goal of ensuring the sustainability of corporate and employee health, we commit to providing a full range of amenities to support customers before, during, and after checkups, ensuring that customers receive attentive and thorough care throughout the service usage.

With over 12 years of experience working with healthcare facilities and an extensive network across many provinces and cities, Insmart has been providing the most professional, convenient, and superior Health Screening Program Administration solutions. Through this service, we offer comprehensive health checkup programs, helping save manpower in monitoring and consolidating healthcare costs, and enjoying discounted rates for high-quality medical services at healthcare facilities, thereby enhancing the employee welfare benefits experience within the company.

Companies planning to organize regular health checkup programs for employees are encouraged to contact us via email at mkt@insmart.com.vn for detailed consultation.

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[Marketing Department –Insmart Joint Stock company]