The Mind-Gut Connection: How Stress Impacts Your Gut & Acid Reflux
Have you ever noticed your acid reflux symptoms ramp up during stressful moments—or felt more bloated, gassy, or “off” in your gut when life feels overwhelming? That’s not just in your head. It’s actually rooted in a powerful two-way communication system known as the gut-brain axis.
In this blog post, we’re diving into the science of how stress affects digestion, why it might be behind your reflux symptoms (even when your diet hasn’t changed), and how to truly support both your gut and your nervous system for lasting relief.
What Is the Gut-Brain Axis?
The gut-brain axis is a real-time communication network between your central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and your enteric nervous system (the “second brain” in your gut). These two systems stay in constant contact using:
The vagus nerve, which acts like a direct hotline sending signals both ways
Neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers that influence mood, digestions, and more
The gut microbiome, a vast ecosystem of microbes that help produce these neurotransmitters and influence nervous system activity
This axis influences digestion, mood, immune health, and more. In fact, around 90–95% of the body’s serotonin (your feel-good, mood-regulating neurotransmitter) is made in the gut lining — gut bacteria play a role in regulating this process.
When this connection is working well, your digestion tends to feel smooth, and your mood is more stable. When it’s disrupted—through chronic stress, trauma, gut imbalance, or illness—symptoms like reflux, bloating, urgency, or constipation can show up even in the absence of any new food trigger.
The Microbiome: Tiny Messengers With a Big Impact
At the heart of the gut-brain axis lies your gut microbiome—trillions of bacteria and other microbes living primarily in your large intestine. These aren’t just passive passengers; they actively produce neurotransmitters like GABA (which helps calm anxiety) and dopamine (which regulates motivation and mood).
When your gut bacteria are balanced and diverse, they help create short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which can reduce inflammation in the brain and support a healthy gut lining. But when your microbiome is off—due to poor diet, antibiotics, or chronic stress—it can:
Disrupt motility (how food moves through your gut)
Worsen reflux symptoms
Contribute to feelings of anxiety or low mood
Increase gut sensitivity and immune overactivity
That’s why healing reflux or IBS isn’t just about food elimination—it’s about creating a balanced internal ecosystem that supports both digestion and mental health.
How Stress Triggers Acid Reflux (and Other Gut Symptoms)
When your body is under stress—whether it’s emotional, physical, or even subconscious—your nervous system shifts into fight-or-flight mode, which deprioritizes digestion. This means:
Blood flow is pulled away from the GI tract
Stomach acid levels may rise or fall (varies person to person).
Motility slows down or speeds up erratically
Your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) may weaken, allowing stomach contents to reflux into the esophagus
These changes often lead to symptoms like heartburn, regurgitation, tightness in the chest or throat, and bloating—even if your diet hasn’t changed at all.
Over time, chronic stress can also compromise the gut lining. Normally, your intestinal walls act like a secure barrier, keeping bacteria, toxins, and partially digested food contained. But stress can cause those tight junctions between cells to loosen, allowing unwanted particles into the bloodstream. This can activate your immune system, increase inflammation, and potentially amplify reflux, sensitivities, and food reactions.
Hyperawareness: When Your Body Feels Louder Than It Is
Another important piece of the gut-stress puzzle is hypervigilance—when you become overly tuned into every sensation in your digestive system. This can happen when symptoms have been scary or unpredictable in the past. Your body starts scanning constantly for signs of danger.
The result? Even normal digestive sensations (like stomach movement or fullness) can start to feel threatening. And the more you monitor your gut, the louder and more intense it seems.
Ask yourself:
Am I checking in with my body constantly throughout the day?
Do I spiral into “what ifs” when I feel the slightest symptom?
Do my symptoms calm down when I’m on vacation or fully distracted?
These are signs that your nervous system may be stuck in protective mode. And while your body is trying to help, that hyperawareness can actually create more tension and amplify symptoms.
Why Food Might Not Be the Issue
One of the most frustrating parts of reflux and gut symptoms is that it’s not always about food. We’ve worked with clients who can eat the same exact meal on two different days—and have completely different reactions.
Why? Because context matters. Stress, mindset, how well you chewed, how rushed you were, and what your nervous system was doing at that moment all influence digestion.
In some cases, it’s not the tomato or the garlic—it’s the fear of what the food might do. That anxiety changes how your body digests and absorbs nutrients, slows motility, and increases gut sensitivity. Which is why focusing solely on food can leave people stuck in an endless loop of restriction and fear.
Practical Tools to Support Your Gut-Brain Axis
Healing the gut-brain connection means supporting both sides of the equation: digestion and nervous system regulation. Here’s where to start:
1. Feed Your Body Enough & Regularly
Eating enough and eating consistently supports healthy motility and hormone balance. Undereating or skipping meals (even unintentionally) can trigger reflux by disrupting stomach emptying and creating extra tension in the gut.
Tip: Include fiber, healthy fats, and gentle proteins at each meal.
2. Support Your Microbiome
Your gut bugs thrive on real food, especially fiber. Cooked vegetables, oats, squash, and fermented foods (if tolerated) help build microbial diversity. When your gut bacteria are happy, they send better signals to your brain—and symptoms often lessen.
3. Get Gentle Movement Daily
Movement improves digestion and soothes the nervous system. Even just 10 minutes of walking, stretching, or light yoga can boost motility and reduce symptoms.
Bonus: It also helps reduce hyperfocus on symptoms and reroutes energy away from anxiety loops.
4. Try Gut-Directed Meditation
We’re big fans of gut-focused mindfulness tools—meditations designed to bring awareness and calm to your digestive system. These practices help retrain your nervous system to respond to symptoms with curiosity, not fear.
The FLORA App includes guided meditations specifically created for reflux and gut healing.
5. Interrupt the Worry Loop
When symptoms arise, notice your thoughts. Are you telling yourself a catastrophic story about what this means? Try pausing and asking: Is this true? You don’t have to believe every thought that pops up.
Interrupting these thought spirals is a powerful tool for calming the nervous system.
Final Thoughts: You Can’t Heal the Gut Without Healing the Brain
Your stress and anxiety really does affect your reflux, and your reflux of gut discomfort might be amplifying these emotions. It’s all connected.
That’s why real healing means stepping away from food fear and symptom obsession—and instead, building trust with your body again. Nourishing your nervous system is just as important as nourishing your gut.
You don’t need to do this alone. There’s a whole community, and a whole toolkit, waiting for you.
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Want to Learn More? Let’s Heal Together
Our team at FLORA Nutrition is here to help you incorporate these strategies on your day-to-day without stress. Click here to schedule a 1:1 session with one of our expert Registered Dietitians or join the FLORA App to access meditations, gut-friendly recipes, workout classes and more!
Written by Molly Pelletier, MS, RD, LDN | Molly Pelletier is a Registered Dietitian specializing in acid reflux/GERD/LPR/IBS and a leading voice in nutrition for acid reflux. Molly's background in nutrition science and her personal health journey with GERD culminated in the curation of FLORA Nutrition, where she shares evidence-based tools and strategies to help others recover from reflux and optimize their overall well-being. Follow Molly on Social Media @mollypelletier.rd on all platforms
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Blog co-created with FLORA Team Member & BS Nutrition, Marián Carzó
