The Science Behind Stress and Bloating

If you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) here’s what you need to know.

When you have IBS, some days it feels like your belly expands out of nowhere, leaving you tight, sore, and fed up. But did you know that stress may be playing a much bigger role in this than you realise?

Understanding the link between stress and bloating is more than just interesting science - it’s an important step in taking back control of your digestive health. So what’s really going on and what you can do about it?

Bloating isn’t just “a bit of gas.” It’s a physical sensation of fullness, pressure, or tightness in the abdomen, often accompanied by visible swelling. It can also come with pain, excessive burping, or changes in bowel habits.

While diet can certainly play a role bloating isn’t only about what you eat. Hormonal changes, medications, and gut conditions like SIBO or IBS itself all contribute. And yes, so does stress.

Stress is your body’s natural response to any perceived threat. Whether it’s a work deadline, a family worry, or even just the constant busyness of daily life, your body reacts by releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These are designed to help you “fight or flee” the threat - but they also pull energy and resources away from other processes, including digestion.

For IBS sufferers, this is where things get tricky. When digestion slows down or becomes disrupted, food lingers longer in the gut, gas builds up, and bloating worsens. At the same time, stress can throw off the balance of your gut bacteria, leading to more fermentation and more trapped gas.

And because the gut and brain are deeply connected through the “gut-brain axis,” stress doesn’t just make bloating worse - bloating itself can increase those feelings of stress and anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle that many with IBS know all too well

So, if stress can trigger or worsen bloating, then learning to manage it isn’t just “nice to have” - it’s essential. By calming your nervous system, you give your digestion a chance to reset and work as it should. Over time, this can reduce both the intensity and frequency of bloating episodes.

Here are some practical ways to break the stress/bloating cycle

Mindfulness, meditation, or gut-directed hypnosis can help soothe both the mind and the gut. Even just a few minutes of focused breathing can activate your body’s natural relaxation response.
Breathing techniques. Deep, diaphragmatic breaths signal to your body that you are safe, and help support healthy digestion. There are many exercises to choose from but box-breathing or the 4-7-8 exercise are very effective and easy to learn and I’ve included instructions at the end of this blog.
Gentle movement, like yoga, walking or stretching not only help reduce stress, it also encourages healthy gut motility. And moving your body regularly helps prevent that heavy, stagnant feeling.
Use relaxation tools, such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, or visualise your favourite calming scene to help you shift your body into a more relaxed state.
Sometimes just being heard makes all the difference, so you may find it helpful to talk to a trusted friend, or join a support group if you feel isolated.

Bloating is one of the most common - and most uncomfortable - symptoms of IBS, and the part that stress plays in triggering it is so often overlooked or ignored. By understanding and recognising the connection, you can take practical steps to calm your nervous system, support your digestion, and reduce bloating naturally.

While we can’t eliminate stress, we can learn to recognise those things that act as triggers, and then respond differently, so the body doesn’t get stuck in fight-or-flight mode. With the right strategies, you can break the stress–bloating cycle and find greater comfort, balance, and control.

How to do box breathing:

Inhale gently through your nose for a slow count of 4
Hold your breath for a count of 4
Exhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4
Hold again for a count of 4

That’s one round.

Repeat for 4–6 rounds (or more if it feels good).

Tip: Picture tracing the sides of a box (up, across, down, across) as you breathe.

Note: If for any reason you feel dizzy or unwell, stop the exercise and allow your breathing to return to normal.

How to do 4-7-8 Breathing

Inhale gently through your nose for a count of 4
Hold your breath for a count of 7
Exhale slowly through your nose for a count of 8

That’s one round.

Repeat for 3–4 rounds to start.

Tip: Inhale and exhale gently - the longer exhale helps calm your body and mind.

The RESETT program

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RESETT is my signature six-session program that combines gut-directed hypnotherapy, breathwork and simple daily strategies to help reduce IBS symptoms and nervous system overload.

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