Key takeaways
- Anxiety and stress may make acid reflux symptoms feel more noticeable.
- Anxiety doesn’t appear to directly cause acid reflux.
- Acid reflux happens when stomach acid travels upwards.
- Stress can change everyday habits that trigger heartburn.
- Simple lifestyle changes may help ease reflux symptoms.
Ever noticed heartburn flaring up before an important presentation, during exam season or after a particularly stressful week? It’s an observation that’s led researchers to explore whether anxiety and acid reflux could be connected.
Evidence suggests there may be an association between anxiety and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), a medical term used when acid reflux keeps happening over time. However, researchers are still trying to understand exactly how this relationship works.
Research in this area has focused on people with GORD rather than those who experience occasional acid reflux. That means the findings may not apply to everyone who has symptoms from time to time, but they do offer valuable insights into how anxiety and acid reflux may be linked.
So, what do researchers know so far? Let’s look at what current evidence tells us about the relationship between anxiety and acid reflux, why symptoms may sometimes feel worse during stressful periods and what you can do to help manage them.
Some background: how the brain and gut are connected
Your brain and digestive system communicate through a network known as the gut-brain axis. This two-way communication helps regulate normal digestive processes, but it may also influence things like mood, motivation, stress responses and thinking.
When the body experiences stress, the brain activates a chain reaction involving different hormones. This eventually leads to the release of cortisol, one of the body’s main stress hormones.
Cortisol can affect many parts of the body, including the brain and the gut. Through nerve and hormone signals, the brain can influence different cells in the gut, including immune cells, gut lining cells, nerve cells and muscle cells.
Researchers are continuing to investigate how this communication between the brain and digestive system may influence digestive health and symptoms.
How anxiety can affect the way acid reflux feels
Research indicates that anxiety may influence how some people experience acid reflux symptoms, including how severe they seem.
Acid reflux happens when stomach acid travels up into the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. This can irritate the lining of the oesophagus and cause symptoms, such as:
- A burning sensation in the middle of your chest (heartburn)
- An unpleasant sour taste in your mouth
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Bloating
- A cough or hiccups that keep returning
- A hoarse voice
- Bad breath
These symptoms can have many different causes, but when anxiety is involved, they may sometimes feel more noticeable. One explanation is that anxiety may make some people more aware of physical sensations.
At the same time, anxiety may also cause physical symptoms such as tension, stomach problems, a faster or more noticeable heartbeat, or feeling lightheaded and dizzy. When these symptoms occur alongside reflux, it might be difficult to work out what’s causing your discomfort.
Can anxiety cause acid reflux and vice versa?
Research suggests an association between anxiety and GORD, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that one condition directly causes the other. Instead, it’s likely that several factors contribute to the relationship.
Anxiety may affect the severity of reflux episodes, while living with frequent or persistent reflux symptoms may, in turn, affect emotional wellbeing and quality of life.
If you’ve noticed that your symptoms tend to flare up during particularly stressful periods, keeping a simple record of when they happen and what was happening at the time may help you spot patterns. This information can also be useful if you decide to speak to your pharmacist or GP.
Why anxiety may make acid reflux worse
Everyone responds to anxiety differently. Some people notice very little change in their digestion, while others find their reflux symptoms become more noticeable during periods of anxiety or stress.
Researchers are still investigating exactly why this happens, but several factors may help explain the connection.
Anxiety may change how symptoms are experienced
Research suggests that people experiencing anxiety may become more aware of sensations in the oesophagus.
This may help explain why some people feel that heartburn is worse during stressful times, even though anxiety itself hasn’t necessarily caused the reflux.
Anxiety and stress can affect everyday routines
When people feel anxious or stressed, their everyday habits can sometimes change. For example, some people may:
- Eat more or less than usual
- Sleep too much or too little
- Smoke more
- Drink more alcohol
These changes won’t affect everyone in the same way. However, smoking and alcohol are recognised triggers that may make heartburn or acid reflux worse in some people.
Living with reflux can affect emotional wellbeing
Persistent reflux symptoms may affect more than just your digestive system. Research has found that people with GORD are more likely to experience anxiety or depression than people without GORD.
Frequent reflux symptoms may interfere with daily activities, sleep and overall quality of life, which can affect emotional wellbeing for some people.
The relationship appears to work in both directions. Anxiety may make reflux symptoms feel more noticeable, while ongoing reflux symptoms can also affect how you feel emotionally.
How to manage anxiety and acid reflux
If you’ve noticed that anxiety and reflux symptoms seem to occur at the same time, it can help to look after both your digestive health and your mental wellbeing. Small, manageable changes may be easier to stick with than trying to change everything at once.
Lifestyle changes that may help reduce reflux symptoms
Simple lifestyle measures may help reduce heartburn and acid reflux. These include:
- Eating smaller, more frequent meals
- Avoiding foods or drinks that trigger your symptoms
- Avoiding eating within 3–4 hours of going to bed
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Avoiding clothes that are tight around your waist
- Stopping smoking
- Limiting alcohol
- Raising the head of your bed by around 10–20 cm if your symptoms are worse at night
If you experience occasional heartburn or indigestion, your pharmacist may recommend an antacid to help relieve symptoms.
Rennie® Peppermint is an antacid that works by neutralising excess stomach acid to provide fast relief from heartburn and indigestion.
Looking after your mental wellbeing
Looking after your mental wellbeing is an important part of supporting your overall health.
Things that may help reduce stress include:
- Talking to someone you trust about how you’re feeling
- Trying breathing or relaxation exercises
- Being physically active
- Getting enough sleep
- Eating regular meals to help keep your energy levels stable
If anxiety is affecting your daily life or becoming difficult to cope with, it’s important to speak to your GP or another healthcare professional. Support is available, and they can help you find the approach that’s right for you.
When to seek medical advice
Occasional heartburn and acid reflux are common and can often be managed with lifestyle changes or advice from your pharmacist.
However, it’s important to speak to your GP if:
- You have heartburn most days
- Lifestyle changes or pharmacy treatments aren’t helping
- Food seems to get stuck when you swallow
- You’re frequently being sick
- You have unexplained weight loss
These symptoms don’t necessarily mean there’s a serious problem, but a healthcare professional should assess them to identify the cause and recommend the most appropriate treatment.
If you’re finding anxiety hard to manage, remember that support is available. Your GP or another healthcare professional can help you find the right support for your needs.
Anxiety and acid reflux are thought to be linked, but the relationship is complex. Anxiety may make reflux symptoms feel more noticeable for some people, while ongoing reflux symptoms may also affect emotional wellbeing.
Understanding your triggers, following simple lifestyle measures and seeking advice if symptoms persist can all help you feel more confident managing both your digestive health and your mental wellbeing.
TIPS & ADVICE
A busy life can be hard on the stomach and anyone can be affected by heartburn, indigestion or trapped wind at some point. But if you often find yourself in discomfort, sometimes just a few simple changes to your lifestyle can really help to ease those uncomfortable symptoms.
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