Can Stress Cause Abdominal Pain?

Everyday stress and anxiety can have a strong physical effect. Some people experience headaches or brain fog. Some get palpitations and a tight chest. Many stressed people complain of feeling tense and on edge. And for some of us, stress manifests in the gut, causing discomfort, pain and other stomach issues.

Got that feeling deep in your gut? You probably want to know why stress causes abdominal pain and what to do about it? Can the stomach pain caused by stress turn into something worse? Or is that abdominal pain a symptom of something far more serious? We investigate...

Abdominal Pain: Causes and Types

Abdominal pain can be caused by any number of issues. Here we summarise the most common types of stomach pain, where you’ll feel it and the common causes:

Type of Abdominal Pain	What This Kind of Abdominal Pain Feels Like	Possible Cause of Abdominal Pain	What to Do
Central/lower abdominal pain	Cramped or stabbing pain. Often accompanied by bloating	Trapped wind	Rubbing the stomach in a clockwise direction may release wind. Other options are lying on your back with knees to stomach or trying over the counter remedies^[i]
Feeling of fullness and heartburn	Burning in the esophagus and/or feeling over-full after eating	Indigestion	Sitting upright for two to three hours after eating. Avoiding spicy and fatty foods. Over the counter remedies include antacids and proton pump inhibitors^[ii]
Pain in the centre of your abdomen or just under your right-hand ribs	Severe, sharp pain that lasts for hours. May be accompanied by nausea or vomiting	Gallstones	See a GP if you suspect gallstones. Surgery may be necessary^[iii]
One-sided pain radiating into the lower back and groin	Severe pain that isn’t constant. May be accompanied by nausea or vomiting	Kidney stones	See a GP if you suspect kidney stones. These may be passed when you pee or, if larger, surgery may be recommended^[iv]
Sudden pain close to the belly button, moving to the lower right of the abdomen over time	Severe pain that feels worse if the area is pressed or during movement and over time. Often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, a high temperature and excess urination	Appendicitis	Appendicitis is an emergency and should be seen in A&E. Do not drive^[v]
Regular but not constant bloating and discomfort in the stomach	Fullness, bloating and cramping pain are usually accompanied by diarrhoea, constipation or a combination of both	Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)	Your GP may recommend medication and/or lifestyle changes to control symptoms or refer you to a dietician^[vi]
Generalised discomfort throughout the abdomen	Often described as butterflies, churning or having a stomach ‘in knots’. May be accompanied by diarrhoea, constipation, nausea and/or a loss of appetite/increased hunger	Stress	See below

Stress and Abdominal Pain

Stress can have a strong impact on our wellbeing and is especially linked to gut health.

How stress affects the digestive system

The gut-brain axis describes the very real physical and chemical connection between your digestive tract and your grey matter. Your gut and your brain are in constant communication via the nervous system’s vagus nerve and neurotransmitters, including serotonin^[vii].

This brain-gut connection means that when stress hits your stomach has a kind of fight or flight response, increasing fluid secretion and gut movement^[viii]. This might mean a burst of so-called butterflies, but it can also mean more unpleasant symptoms, including:

Indigestion
Cramps
Bloating
Diarrhoea
Nausea

Is stress linked to more serious abdominal issues?

While stress will usually cause only mild, temporary issues, chronic, ongoing stress can have a longer-term effect on your digestive system. In particular, stress has been linked to:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): a chronic, incurable condition affecting a large portion of the population^[ix], IBS is linked to stress^[x]. Large scale studies show that IBS may be caused by similar biological processes to anxiety. This leads researchers to conclude that stress may cause IBS and almost certainly exacerbates it^[xi].
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): experts think GERD, more commonly known as acid reflux or heartburn, can be caused by stress^[xii]. Additionally, studies connect the symptoms of acid reflux with ongoing anxiety and depression^[xiii].
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): stress can have a huge impact on IBD, an umbrella term that encompasses Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis^[xiv]. Not only does stress exacerbate IBD symptoms, research tells us that it may also accelerate the progression of the disease^[xv].

Stress and stomach pain: when to see your doctor

Stomach pain stressing you out? It may be time to visit your GP. If stress is severely impacting your daily life, your doctor may refer you for talking therapy, such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). And when stress causes physical symptoms that aren’t getting better? It may be time for a health MOT to ensure there’s nothing more serious going on.

What To Do If Stress is Giving You a Stomachache

There are many things you can do to minimise stomach issues related to stress.

Self-care for stress-related abdominal pain

To get rid of the stomach pain that comes with everyday stress, you’ll need to get to the root cause of the problem. Pinpoint the cause or causes of stress and do what you can to reduce their impact on your life and your health. This might include:

Reducing your mental load: this might mean getting help with housework or school pickup or asking for additional support at work
Taking daily exercise: regular exercise is vital for resilience^[xvi]. Stress-busting exercise doesn’t have to mean slogging it out in the gym. A brisk walk, cycling or even a feel-good boogie can have the same effect
Trying meditation or yoga: research shows that meditation can reduce feelings of stress^[xvii], as can yoga^[xviii]. Both increase mindfulness and focus on breathing, for calm and proven resilience^[xix]
Spending more time on things you love: hobbies of all kinds can help you cope with day-to-day stress^[xx]. Whether it’s scrapbooking or sewing, puzzling or painting, getting inspired aids in switching off from stress
Getting out in nature: spending time among the trees has been shown to reduce activity in the part of the brain triggered by stress^[xxi]

Stress and your diet

Eating well is imperative for good gut health and general wellbeing.

Frustratingly, what we eat is often influenced by stress and our ability to deal with stress is impacted by what we eat^[xxii]. That is to say that in moments of stress we tend to overeat or to reach for fast food and ultra-processed snacks. Meanwhile, poor diet is associated with poor mental health outcomes^[xxiii].

Additionally, of course, diet can have a strong influence on gut health, with greasy, spicy, high in sugar and processed foods more likely to cause stomach problems, temporarily or in the long term.

So, while you may feel that takeaway burger or big bag of Revels is the answer to stress, it may be the opposite.

Probiotics can help stress-based stomach problems

Research shows that taking regular probiotics can reduce perceived stress^[xxiv]. Which is why choosing a high-quality probiotic supplement is a must to help you manage the curveballs life throws at you.

Opt for one of PrecisionBiotics’ one-a-day supplements for easy, reliable support for both brain and gut.

Summary

Abdominal pain and stomach complaints are often the result of stress. It’s even possible for stress to put serious, long-term intestinal diseases on fast forward.

Additionally, your gut influences how you react to stress via the gut-brain axis.

That’s why taking extra care of your gut is essential, not only to minimise intestinal complaints but to improve your resilience too.

Sources:

[i] https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/bloating/

[ii] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/indigestion/

[iii] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gallstones/

[iv] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-stones/

[v] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/appendicitis/

[vi] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/further-help-and-support/

[vii] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-024-01743-1

[viii] https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/stress-and-your-gut/

[ix] https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/digestive-gut-health/irritable-bowel-syndrome#:~:text=Around%201%20in%205%20adults,it%20harder%20to%20identify%20IBS.