5 Body Signals of Unhealthy Gut!

Do you know that our guts are labelled as the second brain in our body? Our guts will actually ‘communicate’ with our brain. For example, feeling nausea or stomachache when you are stress or panic. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion and interlink with our immune system, as well as our overall health.

According to research, having a wide variety of these good bacteria in your gut can enhance your immune system function, improve symptoms of depression, help combat obesity, and provide numerous other benefits. However, what happens if your gut is out of balance and unhealthy?

There are many factors that could promote an unhealthy gut which for instance high stress level, sleep deprivation, and eating fast foods that can all damage our gut microbiome. But how do you identify it?

Here are 5 body signals that your gut is unhealthy!

1. Upset stomach

If you often have stomach discomfort issue such as feeling gassy, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain. These can be the signs of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is a common condition that affects the large intestines in our body. Based on scientific research, the imbalance of gut bacteria or known as ‘dysbiosis’ can be one of the contributors to the development of IBS.

2. Unexpected weight changes

Have you ever experienced sudden weight changes and could not figure out the reasons? It is one of the signs! You either gain or lose your weight without making any changes to your diet or your exercise routine. An imbalance gut can have difficulty in absorbing nutrients, regulating blood sugar and storing fat hence the sudden weight changes happen.

3. Sleep deprivation or constant fatigue

Having trouble sleeping every night or insomnia can lead to extreme fatigue. But how does it relate to our gut’s condition? Majority of the body’s serotonin, which is a hormone that affects our mood and sleeping pattern is produced in the gut. Thus, a damaged gut may have a hard time to produce or regulate serotonin which can affect your ability to get a good, safe and sound sleep.

4. Skin irritation

Your gut health will affect mostly everything. Besides your sleeping pattern, it will also affect your skin health! You will start to get skin problems such as eczema and acne breakouts linked to inflammation in the gut caused by food allergies, poor diet and lack of good gut bacteria. When the gut is haywire and full with harmful bacteria rather than good bacteria, it can wreak damage to your skin.

5. Mood swing

Our gut has so much influence over the body’s function such as our mood and thoughts. Almost 90% of the serotonin is found in the gut and not in the brain. Thus, things like anxiety, depression, and emotional health are bound to the state of your gut. If there is sufficient good bacteria in the gut, it can support the production and regulation of important mood-enhancing chemicals like dopamine and serotonin.

How to Restore Guts’ Health?

So what if you are facing the issues listed above? Fret not, try out the below home remedies before the condition worsen.

1. Eat a diverse range of food

Ditching the picky-eater habit and start consuming different food types are able to give variety nutrients to your body and encourage healthy microbiome.

2. Stay away from stress

Living a hectic life will contribute to unhealthy gut. Thus, learn to relieve stress via exercise or meditation can reduce stress level and maintain a good immune system.

3. Taking pre- and probiotic

Adding pre- and probiotic supplement to your daily diet could be a great way to improve your gut health. Probiotics are live microorganisms, usually bacteria, may improve the gut microbiome in those with certain diseases. Prebiotics is the food source for probiotics. They may help your body take in calcium better and boost the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut.