Did you know that the same stress response that helps you run away from a tiger or fight a rival for resources can also cause you to have heartburn and acid reflux? But how does Anxiety Cause Acid Reflux?

Anxiety and stress can cause a stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response, which happens when your brain thinks you are in danger. When this happens, your body releases adrenaline and other chemicals to prepare you to either run away from that danger or fight it.

Regardless of whether the stress comes from being chased by a tiger or simply being stuck in traffic, your body reacts in the same way: with an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of cortisol.

This response is helpful because it makes you feel more alert. It also increases your metabolism so that you have more energy to run away (if necessary) or fight back.

Does anxiety Cause Acid Reflux?

When you are stressed out or have an anxiety disorder, you may experience acid reflux more often. Anxiety is one of the most common triggers of acid reflux. The anxiety causing acid reflux occurs because cortisol (the stress hormone) relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter.

This muscle normally keeps stomach acid in the stomach. When it is relaxed, acid can leak into the esophagus and cause heartburn. Most people only experience acid reflux once in a while. Moreover, “prostaglandins” are produced when you have severe or prolonged anxiety in the body.

However, people with anxiety may experience acid reflux more often. Anxiety may also make acid reflux worse in people who already have it. Thus, anxiety from a number of studies appears to increase symptoms associated with GERD, including heartburn and upper abdominal pain.

Heartburn from anxiety is because of a number of reasons. In some people, it may be due to muscle tension while in others it may be due to digestion changes and in others, it may be due to hormone alterations.

How Does Anxiety Cause Acid Reflux?

Anxiety can cause heartburn in different people in a number of ways, it may be due to muscle tension while in others it may be due to digestion changes and in others, it may be due to hormone alterations.

Anxiety can cause acid reflux by decreasing the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, the band of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus/ entry to the stomach which only allows food into the stomach and prevents the return of the food or stomach acids into the esophagus. Moreover, anxiety and stress also impact the brain that turns up pain receptors, which makes you physically more sensitive to even slight elevation in acid levels but also release of cortisol which leads to a leak of stomach acids to the esophagus.

When you are stressed out, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This hormone increases your metabolism so that you have more energy to fight or run away from a threat. Additionally, cortisol relaxes your lower esophageal sphincter.

This muscle normally keeps stomach acid in the stomach. When it is relaxed, acid can leak into the esophagus and cause heartburn.

What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety and Acid Reflux?

The most noticeable symptom of anxiety and acid reflux is heartburn. Other symptoms of anxiety and acid reflux include:

• Heartburn – Acid reflux is the most common symptom of anxiety and acid reflux. Heartburn happens when acid from your stomach leaks back up into your esophagus. The feeling usually occurs after eating and may be worse at night or while lying down.
• Backwash (regurgitation) of food or sour liquid: One of the common symptoms of acid reflux is the regurgitation of food or acidic liquid into the mouth. The regurgitation leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. This shows that the sphincter muscle is open and foods can backwash.
• Feeling tense – Anxiety can make you feel tense or on edge. This is different from feeling relaxed and calm. Stress from anxiety can make you feel tense, nervous, or irritable.
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep – If you are suffering from anxiety and acid reflux, you might find it difficult to fall asleep at night. This is because cortisol is released during the day and interferes with your body’s sleep hormones.
• Feeling stressed – Anxiety is a mental health issue that can cause you to feel stressed and worried.
• Chest pain or upper Abdominal pain– People with acid reflux from anxiety will most definitely have abdominal pain due to the effects of the acid on the esophagus.
• Trouble swallowing (dysphagia): Some people have trouble swallowing due to acid reflux. The trouble swallowing may be associated with abdominal pain or anxiety about the regurgitation of the bitter food/ liquid.
• The sensation of a lump in your throat: Due to anxiety-induced acid reflux, some people may feel a lump in their throats. However, this symptom is not as common as the other symptoms described above.

Strategies to Help with Anxiety and Acid Reflux

There are several ways we can employ to manage anxiety and acid reflux. Some of them are easy to implement and maintain. The following are some of the strategies:

• Eat a Healthy Diet – Eating healthy can help reduce anxiety, and eating too much or not enough can increase anxiety. Eating a healthy diet can help your body process cortisol better, reducing your chances of having anxiety and acid reflux.
• Practice Relaxation – Engaging in relaxing activities like yoga, meditation, or reading may help reduce anxiety. Activities that relax your body and mind can help your body process cortisol better, reducing your chances of having anxiety and acid reflux.
• Get Enough Sleep – When you are stressed out, getting enough sleep can be challenging. Sleeping enough can help you process cortisol better, reducing your chances of having anxiety and acid reflux.
• Avoid Triggering Behaviors – Some people with anxiety may smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or eat too much junk food to cope with stress. These behaviors may lead to nausea and heartburn, increasing your chances of having anxiety and acid reflux.
• Use Herbal Remedies – Some herbs can help to calm your nerves and reduce anxiety. Chamomile tea, lavender, and rosemary are all calming herbs. Chamomile also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce your risk of having anxiety and acid reflux.
• Regular cognitive behavioral therapy sessions – CBT is one of the most effective methods to manage anxiety. It will help manage both the root cause of anxiety and the associated symptoms such as acid reflux.
• Reducing the intake of caffeine – Reducing the uptake of caffeine in foods and drinks helps to manage anxiety-induced acid reflux. This should be a behavioral activity and not a one-off event.
• Avoiding alcohol and recreational drugs – You can also manage anxiety and acid reflux by reducing or avoiding the intake of alcohol and other recreational drugs.

Medications for anxiety and acid reflux

If you are suffering from acid reflux from anxiety, then it is good to consult your doctor before taking any medication. The doctor will assess the severity and frequency of the acid reflux and may prescribe the following medication to treat GERD and anxiety as a combination or not:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) antacids – These are the medications that you can buy over the counter to manage heartburn and acid reflux. The OTC antacids include Rolaids, Alka-Seltzer, Gelusil, Maalox, Mylanta, Pepto-Bismol, and Tums.
• H-2-receptor blockers (H2 blockers) – These are medications used to treat duodenal ulcers and prevent their return. Moreover, the H2 blockers help to treat acid reflux from anxiety, and Zollinger-Ellison disease (the stomach produces too much acid). These medications include famotidine (Pepcid) and cimetidine (Tagamet)
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)– These heartburn and acid-related disorders medications work by reducing the amount of stomach acid made by glands in the lining of your stomach. Thus, they are used to treat GERD, peptic ulcers, and H. pylori. PPIs include esomeprazole (Nexium, rabeprazole (Aciphex), Prilosec, and Prevacid.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – SSRIs are the commonly prescribed medications for anxiety and they reduce the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain thus managing anxiety symptoms including acid reflux. Some of the commonly prescribed SSRIs include sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), and citalopram (Celexa)
• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) – These are anxiety medications that are quick and effective in the relief of anxiety symptoms including acid reflux. The SNRIs include duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Benzodiazepines, including alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan)

Zoloft cured my GERD!

Zoloft is an antidepressant that can reduce anxiety and help with acid reflux. Antidepressants are often prescribed to people with anxiety, panic attacks, and other mental health issues. Thus, it is important to know the relationship between serotonin and acid reflux.

People who take Zoloft can experience significantly fewer acid reflux symptoms than people who do not take Zoloft. In some cases, Zoloft can even cure acid reflux. People who experience anxiety, heartburn, and acid reflux should talk to their doctor about whether Zoloft is right for them.

Zoloft works by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain. The increase in serotonin levels is able to lower anxiety and cure anxiety symptoms including acid reflux. The effects of Zoloft are however not immediate and thus should not be taken with the hope that it will cure your acid reflux immediately.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is the emotion that presents with feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes including elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and other symptoms.

Anxiety is a mental health issue that causes people to feel stressed and worried. People who suffer from anxiety might also experience physical symptoms like shortness of breath, racing hearts, or muscle tension.

Anxiety can be related to lots of different things, such as work, relationships, health, or money. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The anxiety can be mild or severe. People having mild anxiety may find it fuzzy and troubling. On the other hand, people having severe anxiety find that it can seriously affect day-to-day living, markedly lower the quality of life, and even increase the risk of suicide.

Over a billion people experience anxiety each year. Anxiety is most common in teenagers and young adults, but it affects people of all ages. The challenge is that even though 40 million people in the US suffer from anxiety, only 36.9 percent of anxiety disorder cases get to receive treatment.

What is the Fight-or-Flight Response?

The stress response also called the fight-or-flight response, is an automatic reaction your body has when it thinks you are in danger. When this happens, your body releases adrenaline and other chemicals to prepare you to either run away from that danger or fight it.

The stress response can be helpful because it makes you feel more alert. It also increases your metabolism so that you have more energy to run away (if necessary) or fight back.

When the stress response happens too often, though, it can cause problems. When your body is always in a state of high alert, it can lead to anxiety and panic attacks, insomnia, high blood pressure, and other health issues.

Conclusion

People who experience anxiety, heartburn, and acid reflux may benefit from taking an antidepressant such as Zoloft. Zoloft can lower the frequency of acid reflux and heartburn symptoms for people with anxiety.

Anxiety can cause acid reflux in some people. Eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and reducing triggering behaviors like smoking can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and acid reflux.

Citations:

https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics