Gut Health

Why Stress Makes Your Farts Smell Worse

It’s not fair. Dealing with stress is hard enough without it causing frustrating problems that stress you out even more.

 

But unfortunately, stress can mess with your gut health. And that means when you’re super stressed you get super gassy. And stress gas can smell foul.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to tackle both at the same time. Instead of the stress-gas cycle working against you, you can make it work for you. So you can calm your body and shut down the fart factory with a simple stress-free solution.

The Stress-Digestion Connection Leads to Foul Farts

When you feel stressed, your shoulders and neck may tense up… you may get a stomachache… and nervous energy takes over. Those are the physical signs you notice, but there are many more physical changes that you probably don’t see.

Stress sets off a change reaction of “fight-flight-freeze” responses inside your body. It creates a chemical cascade, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that make you more alert so you can survive whatever danger you’re facing. Those stress hormones force your body to shift all its energy into your arms, legs, and brain – the key parts for keeping you alive.

At the same time, it shifts resources away from processes that can wait til later when you’re safe. And digestive function is one of the main losers here. (1) When you’re stressed out, your digestion slows to a crawl. Any food you’ve eaten just hangs out in your gut for much longer than it normally would. That extra time leads to extra fermentation (breaking down food) by your gut bacteria. (2)

The longer fermentation process creates gasses… and the more food lingers in your gut waiting to be broken down, the more odor they retain. At some point, of course, all that gas in your belly will need to find a way out – Creating stress-induced, embarrassingly stinky farts.

gassy woman

The “Stress-Gas-Stress” Cycle

It’s a tough cycle to break out of: stress causes more frequent, smellier farts… And farting more frequently increases feelings of stress. 

A huge study (3) that included nearly 6,000 adults from the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K. found that 81% of adults deal with uncomfortable gas every day. That gas can also come along with other frustrating symptoms like bad breath, bloating, and burping. 

The researchers also found that people with higher gas scores – meaning they farted more frequently – also reported:

  • Lower quality of life
  • Higher stress levels
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

This stress-gas-stress cycle can take a toll on your well-being… Unless you take immediate steps to help body manage stress better and produce less unpleasant-smelling gas.

Get “Psycho” To Feel Stress-Free

There’s been a lot of research into how probiotics can help with stress reduction, and one specific probiotic strain currently stands tall above the rest. 

Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ (BL1714) works as a “psychobiotic” – a term for probiotic bacteria that delivers mental health benefits, including reducing stress loads. (4) And research proves that B. longum 1714™ helps the body manage stress and promote a sense of calm clarity: (5)

  • One study found that B. longum 1714™ decreases nervous brain activity and calms negative emotions in people dealing with social stress (6)
  • Another study showed that B. longum 1714™ helps the body manages healthy stress responses while supporting clear memory (7)
  • Additional research found that B. longum 1714™ promotes clarity and focus during periods of stress (8)

    And B. longum 1714™ can help on the “other end” as well. 

    A new study published in January 2023 (9) found that in IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) patients dealing with stress, B. longum 1714™ was able to help manage cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, promote sound sleep, and improve IBS scores.

    vitamin b

    How Three Bs Beat Stress and Gas

    For a natural way to calm both stress and gas you can count on B vitamins. Three essential B vitamins – B6, B9, and B12 – work together to moderate your body’s stress reactions and promote healthy digestion.

    Your nervous system counts on vitamins B6, B9, and B12 to properly manage the stress response and allow your body to calm down. (10) That’s partly because these three essential nutrients play a part in the creation of calming brain chemicals like serotonin and GABA. (11) The trio has also been linked with positive emotional health. (12)

    These three Bs can also positively affect digestive health. Vitamin B6 also works as a coenzyme in many bodily functions, including some related to comfortable digestion. (13) Folate, also known as vitamin B9, helps stimulate the production of the digestive acids that help break down food. (14) Vitamin B12 provides vital energy and support to probiotic gut bacteria, (15) which are critical for healthy digestion. 

    The Simplest Way To Conquer Your Stress Gas Struggles

    When you feel like you’re clearing out every room you enter… when you have no idea when the next sound and scent explosion will occur… It can make everything feel like a challenge. Combine that with the constant bombardment from work, kids, and bills to pay and you’ve got a recipe for stress stew that simply stinks.

    Thankfully, you can help your body experience smooth, comfortable digestion and a healthy stress response with Just Calm. This relaxing formula combines the clinically studied “psychobiotic” strain Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ and a stress-soothing trio of B vitamins: B6, B9, and B12.

    Every day stressors may be unavoidable, but you can help your body manage its reactions with comforting support from Just Calm. Your body will be able to relax and restore, allowing for healthy digestion.

    You’ll love how easy stress management can be when you have the right support. Let your body and mind unwind with Just Calm every day, starting today. 

    >> Discover more about Just Calm HERE

    Feeling stressed wondering if Just Calm will work for you? We’re confident that when you take Just Calm as directed, you’ll enjoy all the benefits. But if you’re not 100% happy, we’re here to help. 

    At Just Thrive we offer you complete purchase protection, a 100% guarantee. If you’re not completely satisfied with your Just Thrive purchase for ANY reason, you can take advantage of our “Bottom of the Bottle” Money Back Guarantee:

    Love Just Calm or request a refund at any time… Whether it’s 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months later… Even if the bottle is empty!

    >> Beat Stress with Just Calm and Try it 100% RISK FREE

    just calm

     

    References:

    1. Cherpak CE. Mindful Eating: A Review Of How The Stress-Digestion-Mindfulness Triad May Modulate And Improve Gastrointestinal And Digestive Function. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2019 Aug;18(4):48-53. PMID: 32549835; PMCID: PMC7219460.
    2. Macfarlane GT, Macfarlane S. Bacteria, colonic fermentation, and gastrointestinal health. J AOAC Int. 2012 Jan-Feb;95(1):50-60. doi: 10.5740/jaoacint.sge_macfarlane. PMID: 22468341.
    3. https://ueg.eu/a/281
    4. Foster JA, Rinaman L, Cryan JF. Stress & the gut-brain axis: Regulation by the microbiome. Neurobiol Stress. 2017 Mar 19;7:124-136.
    5. Allen, A., Hutch, W., Borre, Y. et al. Bifidobacterium longum 1714 as a translational psychobiotic: modulation of stress, electrophysiology and neurocognition in healthy volunteers. Transl Psychiatry 6, e939 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.191
    6. Wang H, Braun C, Murphy EF, Enck P. Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ Strain Modulates Brain Activity of Healthy Volunteers During Social Stress. Am J Gastroenterol. 2019 Jul;114(7):1152-1162. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000000203. PMID: 30998517; PMCID: PMC6615936.
    7. Allen AP, Hutch W, Borre YE, Kennedy PJ, Temko A, Boylan G, Murphy E, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, Clarke G. Bifidobacterium longum 1714 as a translational psychobiotic: modulation of stress, electrophysiology and neurocognition in healthy volunteers. Transl Psychiatry. 2016 Nov 1;6(11):e939. doi: 10.1038/tp.2016.191. PMID: 27801892; PMCID: PMC5314114.
    8. Savignac HM, Tramullas M, Kiely B, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. Bifidobacteria modulate cognitive processes in an anxious mouse strain. Behav Brain Res. 2015;287:59-72. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.02.044. Epub 2015 Mar 17. PMID: 25794930.
    9. Groeger D, Murphy EF, Tan HTT, Larsen IS, O'Neill I, Quigley EMM. Interactions between symptoms and psychological status in irritable bowel syndrome: An exploratory study of the impact of a probiotic combination. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2023 Jan;35(1):e14477.
    10. Calderón-Ospina CA, Nava-Mesa MO. B Vitamins in the nervous system: Current knowledge of the biochemical modes of action and synergies of thiamine, pyridoxine, and cobalamin. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2020 Jan;26(1):5-13. doi: 10.1111/cns.13207. Epub 2019 Sep 6. PMID: 31490017; PMCID: PMC6930825.
    11. Kennedy DO. B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy--A Review. Nutrients. 2016 Jan 27;8(2):68. doi: 10.3390/nu8020068. PMID: 26828517; PMCID: PMC4772032.
    12. Sofyan M, Fitriani DY, Friska D, Basrowi RW, Fuady A. B Vitamins, work-related stress and emotional mental disorders: a cross-sectional study among nurses in Indonesia. Nurs Open. 2022 Jul;9(4):2037-2043. doi: 10.1002/nop2.1213. Epub 2022 Apr 17. PMID: 35434916; PMCID: PMC9190671.
    13. Ligaarden SC, Farup PG. Low intake of vitamin B6 is associated with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. Nutr Res. 2011 May;31(5):356-61. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.04.001. Epub 2011 Apr 30. PMID: 21636013.
    14. Ponziani FR, Cazzato IA, Danese S, Fagiuoli S, Gionchetti P, Annicchiarico BE, D'Aversa F, Gasbarrini A. Folate in gastrointestinal health and disease. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2012 Mar;16(3):376-85. PMID: 22530356.
    15. Heather M Guetterman, Samantha L Huey, Rob Knight, Allison M Fox, Saurabh Mehta, Julia L Finkelstein, Vitamin B-12 and the Gastrointestinal Microbiome: A Systematic Review, Advances in Nutrition, Volume 13, Issue 2, March 2022, Pages 530–558, https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab123