Is Stress Wrecking Your Gut? Here's How to Tell-

If your digestion changes when you’re overwhelmed or anxious, you’re not imagining it.

That flutter in your stomach before a big meeting, the bloating that sticks around after a stressful week, or the way your appetite suddenly disappears—or ramps up—when you’re feeling burned out? It’s all connected.

Your gut and your stress response are in constant communication. When one is under pressure, the other often reacts. Understanding this connection can help you recognize what your body is trying to tell you and take steps toward better balance.

Your Gut Does More Than You Think

Your gut is responsible for far more than digesting your meals. It plays a key role in your immune system, mood regulation, hormone balance, and even how effectively you absorb nutrients.

It’s often called the “second brain” for a reason—it’s in constant communication with your nervous system, and that connection goes both ways.

When you’re dealing with ongoing stress—emotional, physical, environmental, or even the kind you’ve lived with for so long it feels normal—your brain and body shift into survival mode. Digestion slows. Stomach acid and enzymes decrease. The gut lining can become more permeable. Your microbiome starts to change.

Over time, this can show up as:

• Bloating after meals

• Irregular bowel movements

• New or worsening food sensitivities

• Skin issues

• Mood fluctuations

• Hormonal imbalances

  
  

Yet many of these symptoms are brushed off as “just how it is,” especially for women. You might be told to add more fiber, try meditation, or drink more water. And when that doesn’t solve the problem, it can start to feel like your body is working against you.

Why This Connection Is So Often Missed

In traditional healthcare, issues with digestion, mood, sleep, and hormones are often viewed as separate concerns. But in reality, they’re deeply interconnected—often pieces of the same puzzle.

Chronic stress doesn’t just influence how you feel. It affects your gut lining, shifts your microbiome, alters hormone production, and impacts your ability to regulate inflammation. It’s one of the most commonly overlooked root drivers of gut and hormone symptoms today.

Without the right testing or a whole-body perspective, it’s easy to end up “chasing symptoms”—treating one issue at a time without ever addressing what’s actually causing them.

That is where we come into the picture. Holistic healthcare or alternative healthcare views the body as a whole. A system of interconnected systems that “talk” to each other.

Functional Medicine Testing for Stress-

To evaluate if stress is causing gut health issues we test cortisol levels (your stress hormone) by utilizing ASI testing. The functional medicine test called an Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) test is a non-invasive saliva test that measures multiple stress-related hormones, like cortisol and DHEA, over a 24-hour period to assess adrenal gland function.The test uses multiple saliva samples to provide a more complete picture of your body's response to stress than a single blood or urine test. It can help identify potential issues related to chronic stress.

At Balanced Body Wellness Centre, we believe your symptoms are signals, not something to silence. When you understand what your body is asking for, you can begin to support it in a way that actually creates lasting change.

If you’ve been dealing with digestive symptoms, low energy, mood changes, or hormone shifts (and you're not getting the answers you need!) And you’re ready to stop guessing and start healing, we’d love to help.