Can Anxiety Cause Indigestion
Anxiety can indeed affect digestive processes and cause indigestion.;
When we are feeling anxious our nervous system has to work extra hard using up valuable resources in the process and diverting them away from the digestive system.;
Our stomach acid and natural digestive enzyme levels may be negatively affected and the rate at which we digest food tends to slow down.
We may also eat too quickly and feel tense which means the food is not chewed properly or broken down as it should be.;
This can give rise to different symptoms including bloating, wind, pain, inflammation and general digestive discomfort.
I would always recommend checking out any changes to digestive processes with your GP or healthcare practitioner as other health issues can be involved.;;
You may also find my article – The Stress Test – which discusses the link between digestion and stress helpful.
If you would like any further information about herbs which can help ease nervous tension and those which may aid digestion, please do contact me again.
With best wishes
Can Gerd Cause Asthma
We dont know the exact relationship between GERD and asthma. More than 75% of people with asthma have GERD. They are twice as likely to have GERD as people without asthma. GERD may make asthma symptoms worse, and asthma drugs may make GERD worse. But treating GERD often helps to relieve asthma symptoms.
The symptoms of GERD can injure the lining of the throat, airways and lungs, making breathing difficult and causing a persistent cough, which may suggest a link. Doctors mostly look at GERD as a cause of asthma if:
- Asthma begins in adulthood.
- Asthma symptoms get worse after a meal, exercise, at night and after lying down.
- Asthma doesnt get better with standard asthma treatments.
If you have asthma and GERD, your healthcare provider can help you find the best ways to handles both conditions the right medications and treatments that wont aggravate symptoms of either disease.
How Medclines Acid Reflux Relief System Addresses Gerd Symptoms
MedClines Acid Reflux Relief System is clinically-proven to provide natural relief for patients dealing with symptoms of GERD and acid reflux. Our three-component system is constructed using the ideal posture for sleeping with acid reflux on the left side and at an incline recommended by doctors and proven by patients.
To learn more about how MedCline works, visit our FAQ page or speak with one of our Sleep Specialists for more information.
References
About MedCline
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MedCline was founded in 2011 by Carl Melcher, M.D, who was a life-long sufferer of GERD. Dr. Melcher wanted to help the millions of GERD patients with a natural treatment alternative utilizing positional therapy. Since development, the Reflux Relief System has been validated in 7 clinical trials. Aiming to help other medical conditions with positional therapy, MedCline has also developed a Shoulder Relief System for those who suffer with chronic shoulder pain at night.;Both MedCline Relief Systems are providing much-needed relief for those suffering from nocturnal acid reflux and/or nighttime shoulder pain to get quality, restorative sleep leading to a higher health-related quality of life.
To learn more about acid reflux relief, visit our Reflux Relief System Page. ;
To learn more about shoulder pain relief, visit our Shoulder Relief System Page.
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Acid Reflux And Anxiety: Learning Body
Anxiety is defined as the natural response to stress, and depending on the duration, it may become a true anxiety disorder.
This happens when anxiety lasts for several months, and, more important, it impairs the normal quality of life.
This is the most important reason to wonder if anxiety could be included in the list of ascertained causes of acid reflux.
Talking about trends, we can say that both of these conditions are always more frequent, thats why is important to investigate any possible relationship between them.
According to some studies, anxiety and depression may play an important role in the occurrence of GERD.
This evidence is even more relevant for people who suffer from NERD, meaning that they do not have esophageal erosion.
The table below is taken directly from the official study and presents the perceived level of anxiety among people who suffer from heartburn and reflux.
A more recent study reported that anxiety and depression levels were significantly higher in subjects with GERD than in healthy people.
This is a further confirmation of what was found before.
However, theres consideration to add.
Anxiety effect on people who suffer from reflux has nothing to do with the acid and/or the burning sensation in the esophagus.
Acid Reflux And Anxiety Symptoms
Talking about symptoms, there are some common manifestations of anxiety, when it is found together with acid reflux.
We believe thats important to spend words about them, because of two main reasons:
- When anxiety and reflux are present together, you feel more intense symptoms, starting from heartburn
- Heartburn can also be a result of anxiety alone, thats why you must know what your condition really is
One of the first symptoms to remember is hyperventilation.
This is very common for people who suffer from anxiety, and in some cases, it also causes chest pain thats very similar to heartburn.
When it happens, however, the reason is muscle tension. The final result might be hard to distinguish from heartburn, though.
More than hyperventilation, anxiety generally causes the following.
Those listed above are just a selection of symptoms and reasons why they are so important when a person suffers from both anxiety and acid reflux.
Whatever the case, its always suggested to make an effort to understand if heartburn is the result of anxiety alone, or its true gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Anxiety also increases a lot in a specific category of people, more precisely LPR sufferers .
This happens in almost all cases for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome .
In short, the occurrence of LPR in people who also are suffering from OSAS induces depression and;anxiety.
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Feeling Stressed Why You May Feel It In Your Gut
Tip:
From butterflies in your stomach before giving a big speech at work to an ulcer that acts up whenever things get tough, our gastrointestinal health seems to be intimately connected to our emotions. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or acid reflux is no exception, and heartburn symptoms can escalate right along with your workload.
However, the relationship between stress and heartburn is a tricky one; just as one man’s stress is another’s adrenalin rush, stress may sock in the gut somebut not allpeople who have GERD.
And although stress may exacerbate GERD symptoms, it’s unlikely to be the underlying cause of your chronic heartburn. In the past, stress was thought to be the culprit in a variety of gastrointestinal problems, including ulcers and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease. Now it’s known that bacterial infections and underlying inflammation are to blame, not stress.
Stomach acid may rise, but not everyone feels the burnEven if excess weight, smoking, alcohol, or other GERD-triggering factors are the underlying cause of your heartburn, stress can make you feel the symptoms of acid reflux more acutely. Heartburn-Easing Foods That Fight GERD
The bottom line? “There is a strong connection between stress and acid reflux,” says Dr. Schreiber. No matter how the body and mind senses them, GERD symptoms are equally real.
How Do I Relieve Heartburn From Stress
Stress can contribute to heartburn and make heartburn worse. Reducing stress may help reduce heartburn. The following tips are some lifestyle changes that you can start making to stay one step ahead of it.
Tip #1: Avoid heartburn-triggering foods and eating too much when youre stressed out. To learn more about healthier food options to help reduce your stress-related heartburn symptoms, please check out Curists other articles:
Tip #2: Practice sleep hygienedark, quiet rooms; regular bedtimeand get a full nights sleep as often as possible. Sleep hygiene also includes going to bed without a full stomach, so skip the late-night stress snacks.
Tip #3: Put down alcohol and cigarettes. Many people reach for these when theyre feeling jittery or nervous, but they can both contribute to heartburn.
Tip #4: Stay active. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress as well as aid digestion. It is helpful for combating the stress response to the digestive system.
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How Is The Treatment Done
The use of antacid medication like Pepsamar, or medication that decreases the production of acidity in;the stomach, such as Omeprazole or Pantoprazole, is advisable for the treatment of;stress-induced gastritis and should be recommended by a doctor. However, continuous use of these medications isnt recommended, so the treatment of emotional issues that trigger the symptoms with psychotherapy, relaxation techniques such as meditation, a balanced diet and regular physical activity is the best course of action. A great home remedy for gastritis is chamomile tea, which should be taken 2 to 3 times a day to activate its calming effect. Other natural calming herbal remedies include valerian, lavender and passion-flower blossoms tea.
When Should I Call A Doctor For Indigestion
Indigestion symptoms are signs of other medical conditions or problems.
If indigestion symptoms are mild or resolve in a short time, talk to your doctor about how to treat it.
If you have any of the following symptoms of severe indigestion, if your symptoms last more than a few days, or if they worsen noticeably, seek medical care immediately:
- Vomiting or blood in vomit
- Loss of appetite
- Black, tarry stools or visible blood in stools
- Severe pain in the upper right abdomen
- Sudden, severe pain in the abdomen, particularly on the right side
- Yellow coloring of the skin and eyes
- Discomfort unrelated to eating
- Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting due to symptoms
Heart attacks may cause symptoms often are mistaken for indigestion. If indigestion is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain, or pain radiating to the jaw, back, neck or arm, seek medical attention immediately.
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The Connection Between Stress And Gerd
In terms of establishing this connection, two studies in particular stand out. One, which surveyed over 65,000 adults in Norway, found that those who reported low levels of job satisfaction were nearly twice as likely to have GERD symptoms. In addition, those who reported high job demands, low job control, and high job strain were likewise more likely to experience acid reflux.
The other study, published in 2015, found that over 45% of those who were treated for GERD reported feelings of stress, which was more common than those who reported dietary factors, such as consuming sweets, greasy foods, and coffee.
Psychiatric Disorders And Pain Perception
Vic Velanovich, MD, a gastrointestinal surgeon and one of the studys;co-authors, says this is not an isolated phenomenon. Its part of a broader problem in assessing the severity of disease. Its always very difficult to correlate patient-perceived symptoms with actual physiological measures, he says.
Dr. Velanovich offers a neurological explanation. Its called the pain modulation network. Pain is converted to electrical signals that travel to the brain. Its interpreted there by the frontal cortex. So anything happening in the frontal cortex, including mental disorders, makes pain perception worse.
Velanovich has been exploring the effects of the pain-modulation network for some time. In 2001, he published a study examining whether psychiatric disorders affected patient satisfaction with GERD-correcting surgery. He found that surgery satisfied 93.5 percent of patients without psychiatric disorders, and just 11.1 percent of patients with them.
It was a classic nocebo effect, Velanovich says. For both groups of patients the GERD pain was greatly relieved. But only anxious patients found the aftereffects of the surgery intolerable. Which tells me that theres something else going on.
He also suggests that some of the onus lies with primary care physicians, who he says should be careful to observe any psychiatric issues that occur alongside GERD symptoms.
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How To Reduce Anxiety And Avoid Acid Reflux
Seeing as there is some pretty strong evidence that anxiety may cause or worsen acid reflux, its probably a good idea for you to know how to reduce stress and avoid acid reflux.
A great way to reduce anxiety is to exercise. Exercise creates and releases various chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and dopamine, both of which are proven to lessen anxiety, stress, and depression.
People with anxiety often have poor sleeping habits or just do not sleep well, and therefore, a good way to lessen anxiety is by trying to sleep more.
While everything up until this point is true, the fact of the matter is that people are like snowflakes, in that no two are alike. What might work for others to reduce anxiety may not work for you. Therefore, you need to find your own way to deal with it. This could include going for walks in a quiet forest, drinking a hot tea, taking a bubble bath, punching a bag at the gym, or anything else. This is kind of a trial and error type of thing, so dont give up.
One big thing you can do here is to simply learn to say no. Stress is often caused by peoples needs to make others happy, and therefore do things they would otherwise not do. In other words, say no, put yourself first, and ensure that your own mental health is taken care of before you start worrying about others.
The Relationship Between Acid Reflux And Stress
As a direct consequence, a person who suffers from reflux and stress can experience a significant improvement in his/her quality of life by simply taking care of stress alone.
In fact, he/she will raise his/her threshold of perception of such stimuli: this will give the sensation that also many reflux-related symptoms will disappear.
Things can get complicated when other typical symptoms of stress also occur:
- insomnia
The other interesting option to consider is a complete kit to get rid of any additional conditions that make acid reflux harder to control.
Stress certainly is one of such factors, thats why we want to recommend this specific program as the #2 option to consider.
There are then many other possible fixes for stress and many other psychological troubles that can make acid reflux more felt and concerning.
Well post specific updates soon about all of them.
In the meantime, our warm suggestion is to remove stressors first and, if this is not possible at this time, at least to start with one of the above programs because they also consider stress as a powerful factor that makes reflux worse and more serious over time.
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The Cause Of Panic Attacks And Acid Reflux
Hiatal hernia is very misdiagnosed. It can be the cause of 15 different symptoms including panic attacks, heart palpitations, acid reflux, bloating, chest pain, and more.
Ive recently discovered that its presence can be mentioned on an endoscopy report but your doctor fails to mention it. They dont tell you about it because they erroneously think its not causing any symptoms. They also fail to mention it because they have no drug nor surgical solution that works.
Dont continue to suffer from this. Give a listen to learn more.
Can Stress Cause Acid Reflux Physical Symptoms Of Stress
Medically Reviewed By: Debra Halseth, LCSW
Are you suffering from indigestion and heartburn? Have you been racking your brain trying to determine what you’re eating that’s causing such a problem for you? Have you been asking yourself “can stress cause acid reflux?” The unfortunate reality is that stress can cause a lot of symptoms that affect both your physical and mental health. Being aware of what they are can help you learn how to address them.
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Subjects And Study Design
We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study that included 27 906 subjects who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and completed a symptom questionnaire on the same day for routine health checkup at the Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System Gangnam Center between January 2008 and December 2011. A schematic protocol of the study design is illustrated in Figure 1. We excluded 932 subjects from the analysis based on the following criteria: a diagnosis of gastroesophageal carcinoma or active peptic ulcer based on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy findings, and a history of gastrectomy. In addition, we excluded the subjects with symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorder other than reflux from the control group, which could lead to bias in the results of the study. Eventually, 19 099 subjects were included in the study, and their clinical and endoscopic records were reviewed. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of Seoul National University Hospital . Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects before every procedure.
Icipants And Study Design
RE was divided into 4 grades according to the Los Angeles classification as follows : grade A: one or more mucosal breaks<5;mm, that did not extend between the top of two mucosal folds; grade B: one or more mucosal breaks>5;mm long that did not extend between the top of two mucosal folds; grade C: one or more mucosal breaks that was continuous between the top of two or more mucosal folds but involved<75% of the circumference; and grade D: one or more mucosal breaks that involved at least 75% of the esophageal circumference.
The exclusion criteria were age<18;years, history of gastrointestinal tumors, gastrectomy, peptic ulcer, severe liver or kidney disorder, respiratory failure, heart failure and pregnancy.
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Why Anxiety Causes Chest Pain
There are many physical symptoms that a person can experience when they suffer from anxiety. One symptom that is common in people who suffer from more chronic and severe cases of anxiety is chest pains. Chest pains can create several different types of sensations in the chest, upper back, and sometimes the shoulders, like:
- Tingling
- Pressure
- Numbness
Chest pains caused by anxiety are often mistaken for symptoms of a heart attack, but they are not dangerous. They are simply a reaction to anxiety. Cases of anxiety that commonly create chest pains include:
- Panic disorder
- Severe cases of generalized anxiety
- Phobias
Chest pains caused by anxiety can occur on their own or without an apparent trigger. It is difficult to live with experiencing chest pains because they can disrupt the quality of a persons daily routine. The pain can sometimes become so severe that affected people end up visiting the emergency room because they believe they are experiencing a medical emergency. Though they are not dangerous, chest pains cause a great deal of anxiety and distress within a person, so it is important to understand what causes and alleviates them.