Welcome to the weekly waffle, in which we find ourselves oddly, perhaps subliminally, compelled to muse on efficient transit through narrow channels... and the effect of rising tension thereon! ;)
For indeed, any doctor will tell you that rising tension is an incontrovertibly bad thing when it comes to digestive transit, and that this, in turn has a profound impact on the benefit you get from the food you eat, not to mention the general comfort levels in your 'inner milieu'.
It all comes down to how your body prioritises its different essential functions, and specifically the interplay of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.
Your sympathetic nervous system is your 'fight or flight' system. It activates in stressful situations. Back in the beginning, this might have been a sabre-toothed tiger or warring tribe appearing on the horizon. In modern (ahem) 'civilised' society, the stresses are often more chronic in nature- time pressure, work stress, constant pinging on your phone, poor sleep, worrying news headlines...
Regardless of the nature of the stressor, your body does its best in the only way it knows how. It focusses on what it sees as immediate priorities - thinking and moving quickly, and remaining alert. Blood flow is prioritised to your limbs and to your heart, and away from the gut. Digestive secretions reduce, and the coordinated movement that pushes food through the system slows or becomes irregular. That hurried bite of sandwich you took before running in to a meeting gets well and truly put on the 'back burner', resulting in bloating, gas, and heavy digestion. Managing or concealing your gastric bubbling only adds to your stress. And regardless of how healthy your meal was (and let's be honest, if it was grab and go, it probably wasn't... ) the nutrients are unlikely to be assimilated by the body, leading to myriad other undesirable symptoms and exacerbating many chronic conditions.
In order to return to effective digestion and free trade of nutrients, your sympathetic system needs to pipe down, allowing your parasympathetic nervous system to take over. This is your 'rest and digest' system, and is activated when you feel safe and settled. In this state, digestion is prioritised; blood flow returns to the gut, enzymes and hormones are released appropriately, food moves through the pipe in a calm and coordinated way, and all the nutrients get to where they need to be.
We might not all look back fondly on this era of geo-political 'tension and inhibited transit'. But if it nudges us to reclaim the proper lunch break and prioritise our own inner calm, that at least could be called a genuine victory. And remember our doctors are always on hand to help with internal turmoil of any kind. Call 01962 776010 for the greatest selection of appointments.
Wishing you all a wonderful week,
Gemma, Tom and all at Winchester GP