The gut and the mind are connected? Of course they are! Your gut communicates a lot with your brain via the so-called "gut-brain axis". That's because the solar plexus, an independent nervous system that runs through the entire digestive tract, consists of around 100 million nerve cells. The vagus nerve is the link: it ensures the exchange of information between the solar plexus, and therefore the gut, and the brain. 80-90% of the nerve fibres lead to the brain and only the remaining 10-20% run the other way, from the brain to the gut. That means: our gut influences our brain and therefore our mind - much more than we think.
The 3 parts of your nervous system
All of your bodily functions are controlled by three parts: the central nervous system (CNS), the autonomic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. Your vital basic functions such as breathing or your heartbeat work automatically, because the autonomic nervous system controls them on its own. The enteric nervous system is similar in structure to the brain, which is why it is also called the "belly brain". It controls your digestive processes, which include gut movement and some functions of the immune system. The vagus nerve plays a particularly big role here: it connects the central nervous system (CNS) with the enteric nervous system (ENS). This is how the gut is linked to the brain and communicates via messenger substances, so-called neurotransmitters. These in turn include the happiness hormones dopamine and serotonin.
How your gut influences your mind
Are you hungry or full? Can you concentrate well? Are you in a good mood? Are you stressed? Do you have a stomach ache? Hand on heart: are you addicted to something? In short: all emotions, your stress resistance and also your perception of pain are controlled by messenger substances. These are produced for our brain by the bacteria in the gut, among other things, and are therefore considered an important building block of the "belly brain".
That's why the microorganisms that communicate with the central nervous system via the brain-gut axis are also called the "psychobiome". In addition, science doesn't only talk about the gut-brain axis, but also about the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Researchers are looking into the influence of the gut in relation to mental health conditions, for example depression, chronic stress, dementia, addiction, autism and ADHD. The other way round, the mind also affects your digestive system, though to a smaller extent. Do you often have to go to the loo before exams? Do you often feel sick when you're nervous? Then you may have a sensitive stomach and/or gut. In stressful situations, nausea, heartburn, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation can easily add to the strain. Short-term stress and the symptoms that result from it can be unpleasant, but they aren't a problem for your body. It only becomes risky when stress turns chronic. You can find out how chronic stress and being overweight are connected here.
How does my diet influence my mind?
As a general rule, a healthy diet can help support mental well-being. Conversely, a lack of vitamins can contribute to mental health problems.
The University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) in Basel are currently investigating to what extent a change in diet, the administration of bacteria or an exchange of gut bacteria might play a supporting role in mental health conditions.
Conclusion
Your gut and your brain are connected via the gut-brain axis. No wonder, then, that your mind is also influenced by what happens in your gut. Short-term exam nerves that lead to a queasy stomach or nausea are therefore totally normal and no reason to worry.
Did you know that fasting can lead to a so-called fasting high? More happiness hormones are produced and released. Regular fasting may also have a positive influence on the microbiome and can contribute to gut comfort. Curious? Take a look at our all-time favourite, the 3 day juice cleanse, and try it for yourself.
Gut and mind are connected? Of course they are! Your gut communicates a lot with your brain via the so-called “gut-brain axis”. That's because the solar plexus, an independent nervous system running through the entire digestive tract, is made up of around 100 million nerve cells. The vagus nerve is the link here: it ensures information is exchanged between the solar plexus, and so the gut, and the brain. 80-90% of the nerve fibres lead to the brain, and only the remaining 10-20% go the other way, from the brain to the gut. That means: our gut influences our brain, and with it our mind - far more than we think.
The 3 parts of your nervous system
All your bodily functions are controlled by three parts: the central nervous system (CNS), the autonomic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. Your vital basic functions like breathing or your heartbeat work automatically, because the autonomic nervous system controls them on its own. The enteric nervous system has a similar structure to the brain, which is why it is also called the belly brain. It controls your digestive processes, which include gut movement and some functions of the immune system. The vagus nerve plays an especially big role here: it connects the central nervous system (CNS) with the enteric nervous system (ENS). This is how the gut is linked to the brain and communicates through messenger substances, so-called neurotransmitters. These in turn include the happy hormones dopamine and serotonin.
How your gut steers your mind
Are you hungry or full? Can you concentrate well? Are you in a good mood? Are you stressed? Do you have a tummy ache? Hand on heart: are you craving something? In short: all your emotions, your stress resilience and your pain perception are controlled via messenger substances. Among other things, these are produced for our brain by the bacteria in the gut, and are therefore seen as an important building block of the “belly brain”.
That's why the microorganisms that communicate with the central nervous system via the brain-gut axis are also called the “psychobiome”. In addition, science talks not only about the gut-brain axis but also about the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Researchers are looking into the influence of the gut on mental health conditions, for example depression, chronic stress, dementia, addiction, autism and ADHD. The other way round, though to a lesser extent, your mind affects your digestive system. Do you often have to rush to the toilet before exams? Do you often feel sick when you're nervous? Then you may have a sensitive stomach and/or gut. It's easy for nausea, heartburn, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation to add to the load in stressful situations. Short-term stress and the symptoms that come with it can be unpleasant, but they aren't a problem for your body. It only becomes dangerous when the stress turns chronic. You can find out how chronic stress and being overweight are linked here.
How do I influence my mind with my diet?
As a rule: a healthy diet may help support mental wellbeing. Equally, the other way round, a lack of vitamins can affect your mental wellbeing.
The University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) in Basel are currently researching how far a change in diet, the use of bacteria or an exchange of gut bacteria could play a role in mental health care.
Conclusion
Your gut and your brain are connected via the gut-brain axis. No wonder, then, that your mind is also influenced by what goes on in your gut. Short-term exam nerves that lead to a queasy stomach or nausea are therefore totally normal and no cause for concern.
Did you know that fasting can bring on the so-called fasting high? More happy hormones are produced and released. Regular fasting can also have a positive effect on the microbiome and may help ease gut discomfort. Curious? Take a look at our all-time favourite juice cleanse, the 3-day juice cleanse, and try it for yourself.
