Yes, anxiety can absolutely cause or worsen acid reflux (GERD) by affecting digestion, increasing stomach acid, relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), and making you more sensitive to pain, creating a vicious cycle where reflux also fuels anxiety. High stress levels can trigger more stomach acid, disrupt normal gut function, and cause muscle tension that pushes acid upward, leading to heartburn, nausea, and chest pain.
GERD Anxiety Treatment
Heartburn. Abdominal pain. Nausea. A globus sensation or the feeling of a lump in the throat, which can cause hoarseness and a chronic cough.
Stress is another factor that causes an excessive production of stomach acid which can bring on acid reflux disease. Some food and drinks can cause the esophagus muscle to relax.
Common GI symptoms
Stress-induced gastrointestinal symptoms are more common than you may think. According to Swanson, 20% to 40% of the population will at some point experience GI pain or discomfort brought on by stress. These symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating and nausea.
Excessive consumption of alcohol, coffee, painkillers, and stomach infections can all contribute to this annoying condition. Stress can also cause gastritis because anxiety creates a hormonal state in the body that increases the secretion of gastric juices, causing stomach pain, bloating, acidity and burning.
GERD can lead to anxiety and depression, in turn, psychological disorders can also lead to reflux symptoms. People with depression are 1.7 times more likely to develop GERD compared to those without depression.
A stressful situation, whether environmental or psychological, can activate a cascade of stress hormones that produce physiological changes. Activating the sympathetic nervous system in this manner triggers an acute stress response called the fight-or-flight response.
Factors that can aggravate acid reflux include: Smoking. Eating large meals or eating late at night. Eating certain foods, such as fatty or fried foods.
To calm GERD, make lifestyle changes like eating smaller meals, avoiding trigger foods (spicy, fatty, acidic), not lying down after eating, elevating your bed, quitting smoking, and losing weight, as well as using OTC medications like antacids for quick relief, but consult a doctor for persistent symptoms. Deep breathing and specific stretches can also help manage discomfort.
There is some evidence to suggest that stress and anxiety may provoke acid reflux or make the symptoms worse. For instance, a 2018 study involving more than 19,000 people found that those with anxiety were more likely to experience GERD symptoms.
How Do You Calm a GERD Flare-Up?
Surgery for GERD
The goal of surgery for reflux disease is to strengthen the anti-reflux barrier. During a procedure known as a Nissen fundoplication, your surgeon wraps the upper part of your stomach around the lower esophagus. This enhances the anti-reflux barrier and can provide permanent relief from reflux.
GERD can put you at increased risk for serious health complications, including esophagitis, or inflammation of your esophagus. It can also increase your risk for a rare disorder called Barrett's esophagus.
Acid reflux and GERD can both cause heartburn and may both be influenced by stress levels1. If you are increasingly noticing a burning sensation in your chest or throat, it could be a sign that you need to take some time to deal with stress.
Symptoms of stress
But when stressors are always present and you always feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. The long-term activation of the stress response system and too much exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all the body's processes.
Medications used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are some of the most widely used medications in children younger than 1 year. There are strong indications that GERD is overdiagnosed and overtreated.
Triggers of an Anxiety Attack
It's not unusual. Stress, worrying and anxiety are common causes of stomach discomfort and other gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. It's usually temporary and not serious. However, chronic stress and anxiety can take a toll on the digestive system and could lead to more serious, long-term stomach problems.
Effects of anxiety on your body
feeling light-headed or dizzy. pins and needles. feeling restless or unable to sit still. headaches, backache or other aches and pains.
Gastritis symptoms are slightly different. It can feel like a knot, burning, or gnawing sensation just below your ribs. GERD generally appears higher in the chest – it burns behind the breastbone, like someone lighting a match under your sternum.
To be diagnosed with GAD, a person must find it difficult to control worry on most days for at least 6 months. They must also have at least three of these symptoms: feeling restless or “on edge,” fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or problems with sleep.