Many health problems are related to nerves. They do not make themselves felt immediately, but develop gradually. And first of all, any stressful situations “hit” the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Today we will talk about the causes of nervous gastritis and the symptoms of the disease. You will learn whether nerves can really cause stomach pain, and how to properly treat the disease.
Gastritis is one of the most common diseases, affecting 80% of the world's inhabitants. When a patient has a stomach ache due to nervousness, it is impossible to classify any specific disease. Therefore, doctors adhere to the term “gastric neurosis”. From the material you will learn about whether a diet is needed during an exacerbation of an ulcer or gastritis due to nervousness, whether it is worth using antibiotic therapy, how to improve the patient’s nervous condition in order to avoid relapse of the disease.
The relationship between gastritis and nerves
In a stressful situation, the nerves become overstrained and vulnerable. The deterioration of their condition causes spasm of the blood vessels, which causes slow blood supply to the mucous membranes. With insufficient supply of oxygen and other nutrients, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract suffers.
Doctors believe that when a person is “under stress,” there is an increased production of hydrochloric acid, which leads to irritation of the walls of the stomach. In this case, the person may suffer from heartburn attacks and may experience stomach pain.
However, with poor nutrition, abuse of caffeine-containing and alcoholic beverages, damage to the mucous membrane occurs. In the future, gastric neuroses can lead to the development of a number of gastrointestinal diseases: gastritis, ulcers, gastroduodenitis.
Risk factors
Typically, the symptoms of gastritis arising “from nerves” are aggravated “thanks to”:
- frequent stress;
- depression;
- increased emotionality (when a person takes everything too to heart);
- excessive irritability.
Most often, people living in large cities suffer from gastritis that appears due to nervousness. The busy pace of life provokes nervousness and irritability. And due to the lack of physical activity, they get worse. Therefore, gastroenterologists and psychotherapists recommend taking time to rest, giving up smoking and alcohol, and not forgetting about sports.
Neurosis
This is a mental disorder. Its occurrence is influenced by many reasons. Usually a person drives himself into such a state.
Factors contributing to the appearance of neurosis:
- Constant stress.
- Chronic fatigue.
- Irritability.
- Lack of proper rest.
- Sleep disturbance and constant lack of sleep.
The body begins to experience stress. All organs are working at an emergency pace. Each of them is trying to stock up on the necessary substances and energy.
All functionality is aimed at maintaining necessary life processes.
Nausea and vomiting occur when neurosis affects a larger percentage of the brain cavity. Autonomic functions are impaired. Often neurosis is caused by the same vegetative-vascular dystonia.
What to do? For help you need to contact a neurologist and psychiatrist. A person must try and learn to cope with his emotions.
Symptoms of nervous gastritis
Gastritis is the “culprit” of many diseases (including stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as cancerous tumors).
Of course, gastritis develops not only against the background of a stressful situation. The rate of development of the disease depends on a number of factors: poor nutrition, the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection, taking certain medications, and the presence of bad habits.
Reflex gastritis, which occurs due to nervous conditions, deserves special attention. It develops against the background of other diseases and is associated with a malfunction in the neuro-reflex regulation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Signs of illness
- Stomach pain due to nervousness. In this case, the pain is localized in the upper third of the abdomen.
- Belching causes bad breath. Heartburn may occur.
- After eating, there is heaviness in the stomach. The same sensations arise in the late evenings.
- Particles of mucus or blood may be found in the stool.
- Nausea and vomiting also sometimes occur.
- Nervous gastritis and ulcers may be accompanied by rapid heartbeat.
Also, symptoms of gastritis caused by nervousness include such signs as constant drowsiness, rapid fatigue of the body, pain in the heart, low blood pressure.
One of the latest studies proves that people who are regularly exposed to stress are 3 times more likely to suffer from gastritis. Gastric and duodenal ulcers are no exception.
Useful video
Every person at least once in his life has experienced a serious event that could cause a large surge of emotions and stress.
Even a wedding can cause great anxiety. Some people note the appearance of vomiting from severe psycho-emotional stress.
The phenomenon is quite common, but you need to make sure that nausea does not occur against the background of pathologies of internal organs. Nervous shock happens, but you need to know how to deal with it.
In most cases, they can be resolved at home, but there are also situations that only a specialist can help you understand.
We need to figure out why a person starts to feel sick. Especially if there were no prerequisites for this.
What to do next: diagnosis of the disease
First, you need to undergo an examination and diagnosis. When examining a patient, the doctor takes into account such important characteristics as elevated body temperature, tension in the stomach muscles, and even the type of vomit. After collecting an anamnesis, the patient must undergo a series of examinations that will help identify exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.
The most popular diagnostic method is gastroscopy. However, in some cases additional tests may be needed: biopsy, biochemical blood test, ultrasound, Helicobacter pylori test, x-ray.
If you have been diagnosed with an exacerbation of gastritis due to nervousness, then you also need to seek the advice of a psychotherapist. A competent specialist will help you establish the cause that provoked stress and further exacerbation of the gastrointestinal tract disease.
Antibiotic therapy
In some cases, nervous gastritis can be aggravated due to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. In this case, it is recommended to treat with antibiotics. Typically therapy lasts 7-14 days. Remember that it is also recommended to take other medications that eliminate the main symptoms of the disease.
Remember that treatment with such drugs must be under medical supervision. After antibiotic therapy, you will need to be tested again and take a breath test for Helicobacter.
Treatment with drugs to relieve symptoms
If a person gets gastritis due to a nervous breakdown, then it is necessary to take antacid medications. Their action is aimed at relieving pain and getting rid of heartburn. Drugs such as Maalox, Gaviscon and Almagel protect the gastric mucosa from the destructive effects of bile and hydrochloric acid. For increased acidity, antisecretory medications are also prescribed.
During the treatment of gastritis, which developed due to stress, it is necessary to observe bed rest.
Possible causes of the pathological condition
There are many factors that can provoke pain, nausea and vomiting in a person. The main ones are pathogenic microorganisms, but there are also psycho-emotional reasons: anxiety, stress and severe anxiety can lead to a decrease in the body's defenses.
As a result, the body's resistance sharply decreases and the chance of getting sick increases several times. Hence the pain of various types, radiating to the stomach. The factors that lead to discomfort are discussed below.
Most often, the cause of pathology is bullying and ridicule from classmates and peers. In addition, teachers and parents can have the same negative impact on the child due to pressure on him.
Children may also experience stomach pain at school.
How to keep stress under control
It is quite common for people to experience stomach pain or diarrhea when they are nervous. However, this condition is not always associated with serious stressful situations. Even minor everyday problems or work issues can throw your gastrointestinal tract out of balance.
Since this psychosomatic illness is easier to prevent than to treat, we recommend that you listen to the advice of specialists.
- Try to spend at least an hour a day outdoors.
- Regular exercise is recommended. Swimming has a particularly beneficial effect on the functioning of the central nervous system.
- If you are often irritable and take everything too personally, you should try yoga and meditation.
When your stomach hurts due to nervousness, you should not lift weights. It is also recommended to avoid strenuous physical training. Remember that if you have a sick stomach, it is not recommended to perform various types of abdominal crunches.
Forms of gastric neuroses
Doctors will identify several forms of neurosis:
- The most common pathology is constant heartburn. It occurs spontaneously when there is no reason for it. It is difficult to relieve with medications and special diets.
- The aerographic form of neurosis is manifested by involuntary swallowing of air while eating and drinking. This causes a person to belch, which leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth, and this can cause nausea and vomiting.
- Aneroxic form of neurosis is manifested by aversion to food. With it, a person cannot eat and almost completely refuses food. This form can be fatal if left untreated.
In some cases, the patient may experience ravenous hunger, in which the person uncontrollably absorbs food in large quantities. To prevent weight gain, patients are forced to deliberately induce vomiting. This disease is treated by a psychotherapist.
What should be the diet for nervous gastritis?
If you are prone to exacerbation of gastritis that occurs due to nervousness, it is very important to adhere to a balanced diet.
- You should avoid seasonings that irritate the stomach lining. Also, avoid eating too hot food. And, of course, any gastritis or nervous ulcer is not compatible with eating smoked, fried and fatty foods.
- Eating flaxseed porridge will be of great benefit for gastritis and peptic ulcers. It envelops the walls of the stomach and protects them from the aggressive effects of hydrochloric acid, has a laxative effect and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Experts strongly advise avoiding products with all kinds of industrial additives. Keep an eye on the expiration date when purchasing items in the store. Remember that intoxication caused by poisoning can have a detrimental effect on the condition of the gastrointestinal tract over time.
- Try to chew your food thoroughly. The fact is that with the development of nervous gastritis, the functioning of the stomach is disrupted. It is also important to monitor the condition of your teeth. If necessary, contact your dentist.
- Only low-calorie foods are allowed. Give preference to lean varieties of fish and meat.
- It is very important to stick to fractional meals. You need to eat 4-5 times a day, keeping an interval of 3-4 hours between meals.
- It is not recommended to eat later than 3-4 hours before bedtime. However, after six in the evening, your diet should consist of easily digestible foods (for example, non-starchy vegetables). Because in the evening the production of hydrochloric acid increases.
If gastritis worsens due to nerves, you should stop eating for at least 24 hours. It is allowed to drink only still water and herbal infusions.
Remember that if the above symptoms occur, you must immediately contact a specialist who can diagnose the cause of the disease. After all, a patient’s stomach pain is not always caused by nerves. Sometimes similar symptoms may indicate a disease of other internal organs.
Treatment at home
You can reduce stomach pain after a stressful situation at home with:
- A sedative herbal preparation – valerian, produced in the form of tincture.
- Sea buckthorn oil is an effective herbal remedy that envelops the wall of the stomach, protecting it from damage.
- Milk is a food product, the consumption of which triggers regeneration processes in the inflamed stomach.
Do not forget that folk remedies are used only as an auxiliary therapy, and self-medication can worsen your health.
