Your stress can trigger heartburn and acidity

Dr. Shivaram Prasad Singh discusses the reasons and symptoms of GERD and explains the role of stress in aggravating the disease

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Brand Connect
Last Updated: Apr 03, 2023, 15:34 IST2 min
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It might be surprising to know that the majority of people suffering from chronic anxiety and stress have complaints of severe acid reflux and heartburn. Stress or anxiety once in a while does not pose much concern, but stress over some time can have deleterious effects on our bodies. Additionally, stress is directly correlated to acidity, implying the more stressed a person is, he/she will experience the symptoms of acid reflux or heartburn to a greater extent.

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Several studies have shown that whenever a person is stressed or anxious, they tend to experience more severe symptoms as they become more sensitive to gastric acids. It has to be noted that under stressful or anxious situations, one does not produce more gastric acid but becomes sensitive to even small amounts of gastric acids resulting in symptoms. This occurs due to a lot of chemical changes happening in the brain, which in turn act on the pain receptors thus making the person more sensitive to pain.

Stress also depletes a chemical called prostaglandin that helps in protecting the stomach from the ill effects of gastric acid, as a result, a stressed person can feel extreme discomfort from gastric acid. Stress also alters the way the food pipe or esophagus works. The muscles of the esophagus and the sphincter of the esophagus that prevents the backward flow of stomach acids are reduced thus resulting in symptoms of GERD.Hence, the treatment and management measures to “Guard against GERD" involve both lifestyle modifications that include stress coping mechanisms and medical treatment with medicines.

Issued in Public Interest by Dr.Reddy"s Laboratories LTD

The pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists.

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First Published: Apr 03, 2023, 15:34

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