All kids feel scared, worried, stressed, and sad sometimes.
Unfortunately, for millions of children those feelings don’t go away.
Instead, they transform into lasting anxiety and depression. These are conditions that can interfere with children’s mental and physical health. They can interrupt learning, playing, and socializing – all of which are crucial for healthy development.
Luckily, parents have a safe, effective option to help ease those troubling challenges… but it’s not what you’d expect.
It turns out that the gut microbiome – the trillions of bacteria that live in the gut – has an enormous impact on mental health. And the best way to manage anxiety and depression may start in the gut.
Depression and anxiety look different in kids
It can be tough to tell that your child is struggling with anxiety or depression. Signs differ widely depending on age, and many of them can seem more like physical or behavioral issues.
In children, anxiety can show up as:
- Trouble sleeping
- Fussy eating
- Anger
- Irritability
- Stomachaches
- Headaches
- Excessive crying
- Regressing to earlier behaviors (like bed-wetting or tantrums)
On top of that, children may experience panic attacks that come on suddenly and can cause trouble breathing, dizziness, shaking, and sweating.
Depression can also cause huge changes in your child’s behavior:
- Not wanting to do fun things or activities they normally love
- Eating a lot more or a lot less than usual
- Sleeping a lot more or a lot less than usual
- Feeling worthless, hopeless, guilty, or irritable
- Being unable to pay attention
- Hurting themselves
- Causing trouble
If you suspect your child may be anxious or depressed, contact their healthcare provider or a mental health professional.
You can also help your child by encouraging healthy choices, like:
- Eating a wide variety of healthy foods
- Exercising
- Spending time outdoors
- Practicing mindfulness
- Sticking to a routine (especially for younger children)
And one of the most important – and often overlooked – steps involves restoring a healthy gut microbiome.
Calm minds and happy moods start in the gut
Believe it or not, your child’s emotional state gets its start in their gut.
To feel calm and happy, your child’s gut microbiome – the trillions of bacteria in their gut – has to be in healthy balance. That means beneficial bacteria (probiotics) have to outnumber harmful bacteria (pathogens).
Beneficial gut bacteria produce important neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA that help us feel good and relaxed. Probiotic bacteria also reduce oxidative stress and help manage a healthy inflammatory response – both of which can play a role in anxiety and depression.
Unfortunately, it’s pretty easy to knock the gut microbiome out of balance. Common causes include:
- Antibiotics
- Sugar overload
- Pesticides (like glyphosate)
- Artificial sweeteners
- Stress
Any of those can