Your Digestion With Adrenal Fatigue

In last week’s post, I mentioned that adrenal fatigue can have a negative impact on digestion. Click here to read the post where I explain what adrenal fatigue is. Simply put, it’s when your adrenals become so tired from long term stress that they no longer produce hormones properly.

Why adrenal fatigue impacts digestion

To understand what happens to your digestion when you have adrenal fatigue, you first need to understand stress. Stress is a “fight or flight” response. Imagine being faced with a large bear. Your adrenaline starts pumping. In a split second, you decide to either punch that bear in the face or run for your life.

When your life is in danger, your body systems which aren’t needed at that exact moment shut down. When you’re faced with a bear, the last thing your stomach is thinking is “gee, better make sure that burger is fully broken down”.

Unfortunately, your body can’t distinguish between “Oh !@#$, a bear!” and being called into the boss’s office at 5 o’clock. It recognizes stress hormones in both cases and saves its energy for the “imminent danger”.

What happens to your digestion with adrenal fatigue

When you’re stressed, your body stops producing digestive enzymes properly (click here to learn how to stimulate enzyme production). Large particles (that should have been broken down in your stomach) find their way to your intestines unbroken down.

When undigested food makes its way to your intestines, it needs to be broken down somehow. The bad microbes in your gut jump at the occasion of being fed and break down that food (read more about it here). Here’s the issue with that: by feeding the bad microbes, they thrive and reproduce more easily. Their waste matter is toxic to us and irritates the lining of the gut.

When the gut is irritated, food sensitivities and autoimmune diseases can develop. The natural pores in the gut lining become larger as a result of inflammation. Undigested food then gets into the bloodstream. Since the immune system doesn’t recognize these large particles, it launches an attack. Remember – these particles are much smaller when digested properly. This sequence of events is one of the reasons why food sensitivity is becoming more common.

Feeling ready to tackle your digestion? Shoot me a line and let’s get started!