How your stress could be causing your digestive issues (bloating, fat storage and constipation are a few!)

Mental stress leads to chronic activation of the neuroendocrine systems. Cortisol favors central fat deposition, a decrease in the adipostatic signal leptin and an increase in the orexogenic signal ghrelin, inducing increased appetite and food intake. For women, stress often presents itself more prominently in the stomach. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079864/)

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The brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. This phenomenon contributes to the current obesity epidemic. -

Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress not only creates excess fat storage but can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. That's because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected. (Harvard medical) -

Hormones 

Digestion and Hormones for women control the smooth muscle in your intestines, which dictates how quickly food travels through your system. In one study, animals took longer to empty their intestines when they received a low dose of the hormones than when they got a higher one. This may explain why low levels of sex hormones can lead to constipation.

Read below for a few reasons as to why you store fat where you do when you are stressed! You can address these issues by changing simple lifestyle habits. Incorporate time into your day to do something you enjoy even if its just a 20 minute walk or meditation.