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Bloating & Anxiety

bloating and anxiety

Bloating and Anxiety: Understanding the Connection

 

Bloating can be a frustrating and often overlooked symptom of anxiety. It can make your abdomen feel distended, with a noticeable pressure that often radiates under your ribcage. Interestingly, this type of bloating isn’t always related to food—it can strike even if you haven’t eaten recently, leaving you confused about its origin.

 

For many people, bloating caused by anxiety isn’t necessarily linked to what they’ve eaten. Instead, it’s often a result of the body’s fight-or-flight response. During moments of heightened anxiety, the large intestine can contract or “clamp down,” which can push gas into the abdomen and cause the sensation of bloating. This physiological response is a natural part of your body preparing to respond to perceived threats, but when it occurs frequently, it can feel uncomfortable and distressing.

 

What Does Anxiety-Related Bloating Feel Like?

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• A distended abdomen that feels stretched or swollen, even if you’ve eaten very little or nothing at all.

• Pressure under the ribcage, which may also push against the sternum, making it feel like there’s something stuck or tight in your chest.

• A sensation of air hunger (difficulty taking a deep breath), often linked to the pressure in your torso.

• It may coincide with other anxiety symptoms such as heart palpitations or derealisation (a feeling of being disconnected from reality).

 

Interestingly, many people report experiencing derealization alongside bloating, suggesting a connection between how the body processes stress and how we perceive these physical sensations.

 

Why Does Anxiety Cause Bloating?

 

When the body is in a state of heightened stress, the autonomic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response. This response prioritizes survival functions and diverts resources away from non-essential processes, such as digestion. Here’s what happens during anxiety-related bloating:

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1. Intestinal Contractions: Parts of the large intestine may clamp down or contract as a result of stress, which can lead to gas being pushed into the abdomen.

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2. Gas Build-Up: This contributes to the feeling of bloating, even if you’ve consumed foods that wouldn’t typically cause digestive discomfort.

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3. Pressure in the Abdomen: The bloating can press against the diaphragm and sternum, contributing to sensations like air hunger or chest tightness.

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4. Heightened Sensitivity: Anxiety often makes us hyper-aware of physical sensations, so we may fixate on the discomfort more intensely than we would otherwise.

 

The Trap of Trying to Fix It

 

One of the most common pitfalls is trying to “fix” the bloating by focusing on it, observing it, or throwing various remedies at it in hopes of instant relief. Many people turn to indigestion tablets, dietary adjustments, or other interventions, only to become frustrated when nothing works.

 

This is because anxiety-related bloating isn’t necessarily caused by what you’ve eaten but rather by your body’s response to stress. Fixating on the bloating can inadvertently maintain the anxious state, as it signals to your nervous system that there’s something wrong and keeps the fight-or-flight response active.

 

How to Manage Anxiety-Related Bloating

 

The key to addressing this symptom is less about “fixing” it and more about creating conditions for your body to naturally shift from a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state. When your nervous system settles, the bloating often subsides on its own.

 

Here are some strategies to help:

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1. Distinguish the Cause:

• Ask yourself: “Is this bloating a recurring issue, like IBS, or is it occurring without a clear reason, possibly linked to my anxiety?”

• For example, you might notice that stress amplifies bloating even after eating something light, whereas you feel fine eating heavier meals when you’re calm.

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2. Shift Your Focus:

• Give yourself permission to relax and let your attention move to things external to the bloating. Engage with activities in your personal life that non-anxious you would naturally do.

• By allowing your attention to be flexible and outward-focused, you create the conditions for your nervous system to shift autonomically. Remember, anxiety passes when we’re not watching it.

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3. Be Patient with Your Body:

• Understand that your body is reacting to stress and will settle in time. Trying to “fight” the bloating often reinforces the cycle of anxiety.

 

Important Disclaimer: Always consult a health professional if you’re experiencing bloating, as it can also be a symptom of other common conditions, such as IBS, food intolerances, or other medical issues. It’s important to rule out any underlying causes before attributing it solely to anxiety.

 

Learn More

 

If this topic resonates with you, we dive deeper into the connection between anxiety and IBS in the Disordered podcast episode titled Anxiety and IBS. You can find it here.

©2025 by School of Anxiety Limited

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