Stress & Constipation – Laxatives Only Part of the Solution

We all know anecdotally that stress effects our stomachs and can cause constipation. Laxatives are often prescribed by doctors to provide constipation relief, but this sort of treatment only addresses the symptoms of the problem and not the underlying condition. Let’s first understand why stress can cause constipation and then look at why laxatives (natural and synthetic) might be an ineffective constipation cure for stress related constipation.

Stress & Constipation

Stress has a very physical effect on the gut. Chronic stress and stressful life events (like auto accidents, post-traumatic stress syndrome etc…) are associated with a variety of intestinal disorders like acid reflux, inflammatory bowel disease, and peptic ulcers. Even everyday digestive problems like gas and bloating have been found to be associated with stressful events. But how does stress cause constipation? In simple terms, stress reduces the effectiveness of the mucus barrier in the gut. This barrier protects against harmful microbes and when it is weakened, pathogens populate the gut and beneficial bacteria are killed. These beneficial bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids that are crucial fuel for the gut and help prevent constipation. Laxatives try to induce the gut to move, but without supplying the probiotics or strengthening the mucosal barrier they will not provide long-term constipation relief.

Probiotics to treat stress related constipation

Laxatives are of limited benefit for solving stress related constipation because they don’t fortify the gut against harmful invaders like probiotics do. In a 2006 Canadian study, rats were examined to see if probiotics had a beneficial effect. The rats were divided into four groups – two were exposed to chronic stress and two were not. One of the chronic stress groups received probiotics in their water while the other did not.

The results? The rats who were put under stress while receiving no probiotics had bacterial infestations in their gut whereas the stressed rats with probiotic water had nearly no bacteria get through the guts defenses. Perhaps even more importantly, stressed rats had bacterial infections in their lymph nodes – meaning that the bacteria that got into the gut transported itself into other parts of the body’s immune system. The probiotic treated rats didn’t show any of this transportation effect.

The bottom line – stress related constipation & laxatives

So we see that beneficial bacteria (or probiotics) serve two crucial roles in preventing constipation and benefiting overall health. They fortify the barriers in the gut to prevent harmful microbes from proliferating throughout the body and they produce essential nutrients for the gut to eliminate waste. A laxative may stimulate the gut to contract, but if that gut is overgrown with harmful bacteria, as soon as the laxative is removed, the constipation will return because there isn’t enough beneficial bacteria to protect the gut. A probiotic based laxative like StayRegular aims to provide long-term holistic constipation relief by fortifying the body with 8 specific species of probiotics - all of which promote healthy bowel movements. When trying to cure stress related constipation, laxatives must include probiotics or they are just band-aid solutions.