Question

?Explain why an upset stomach and difficulty sleeping are among the commonly occurring symptoms of medium-term chronic stress.

Answer 1

Stress can cause your esophagus to go into spasm, cause release of acid in your stomach. It can make you feel nauseous, can lead to diarrhea or constipation. A family of peptides called corticotrophin releasing factors (CRF) are responsible for coordinating the body’s response to stress, and CRFs have a potent effects on the gut through modulation of inflammation, increase of gut permeability, contribution to visceral hypersensitivity, increased perception to pain, and modulation of the gut motility. (5) This hormone affects the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) to eventually stimulate the secretion of cortisol from the adrenal glands. Also, stress effect our eating patterns, under stress, some people eat more and for some people their appetite is vanished , leading to further problems in your gut. Stress causes the decrease in micro biota which leads to susceptibility to pathogens   

In the case of insomnia related to stress, alleviating the stress should alleviate the insomnia. Stress causes insomnia by making it difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep, and by affecting the quality of your sleep. Stress causes hyperarousal, which can upset the balance between sleep and wakefulness. Stress sends your brain in overdrive preventing you from sleep. It also reduces your shut eye satisfaction. When you are stressed , the sympathetic nervous system doesn’t shut down, and the brain remains hyperactive.