Introduction
In many situations, a certain level of stress works wonders: concentration increases, tiredness disappears and unpleasant tasks are partially completed by themselves. In many cases, however, unfortunately, it does not remain at a certain level of stress. Examinations, professional pressure, lack of sleep and interpersonal conflicts can, if they accumulate, really hit the stomach – and not only in the figurative sense.
Many people make the experience in their lives that psychological stress can cause physical symptoms, be it cardiac arrhythmia or dizziness caused by stress, headaches or even stress-related stomach aches. These complaints are called “psychosomatic” in the technical jargon, coming from the ancient Greek psyché (soul) and soma (body). The digestive organs, i.e. the stomach and intestines, are particularly sensitive to stress, so that complaints such as loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or even constipation can be the result.
What helps with stress-related stomach pain?
But what can be done about stress-related stomach pain? Ideally, therapy should start immediately at the trigger. In this case, the focus should be on a change in the stress-triggering lifestyle.
Many affected people may notice that abdominal pain occurs mainly in episodes with particularly strong psychological strain or that the pain is additionally increased by stress. Therefore it is first and foremost important to reduce the stress. How exactly this can be done depends very much on the individual and the factors that trigger stress.
However, the pain-inducing stressors should not be ignored under any circumstances, but should serve as a reason to consider how they can be eliminated or at least mitigated. Time pressure and learning stress can be reduced by effective time management. The suppression of upcoming appointments and the postponement of unavoidable tasks ultimately increases the stress level enormously and should be avoided.
Creating and following a task or learning plan brings structure and order into the often chaotic everyday life and can thus contribute to stress reduction. It can also be helpful to prepare for stressful situations in order to achieve a habituation effect. A good preparation for exam situations is, for example, to simulate them so that the stress level is not quite as high during the actual exam.
In the case of personal conflicts, which are responsible for the abdominal pain, the solution is sometimes a little more complex. In any case, it is advisable to talk about the personal problems, be it with the partner, friends or family members. In any case, you should not treat your complaints lightly, because in the worst case this could lead to a chronicity of the symptoms or to acute illnesses such as a stomach ulcer.
This must be prevented so that one is not trapped in a spiral of stress and pain. If you are unable to find solutions to reduce stress yourself, especially personal problems are often difficult to overcome, you should not be afraid to seek professional help in the form of a psychotherapeutic consultation. General practitioners can also help here.
Time pressure and learning stress can be reduced by effective time management. The repression of upcoming appointments and the postponement of unavoidable tasks ultimately increases the stress level enormously and should be avoided. Creating and following a task or learning plan brings structure and order into the often chaotic everyday life and can thus contribute to stress reduction.
It can also be helpful to prepare for stressful situations in order to achieve a habituation effect. A good preparation for exam situations is, for example, to simulate them so that the stress level is not quite as high during the actual exam. In the case of personal conflicts, which are responsible for the abdominal pain, the solution is sometimes a little more complex.
In any case, it is advisable to talk about the personal problems, be it with the partner, friends or family members. In any case, you should not treat your complaints lightly, because in the worst case this could lead to a chronicity of the symptoms or to acute illnesses such as a stomach ulcer. This must be prevented so that one is not trapped in a spiral of stress and pain.
If you are unable to find solutions to reduce stress yourself, especially personal problems are often difficult to overcome, you should not be afraid to seek professional help in the form of a psychotherapeutic consultation. General practitioners can also help here. However, even small changes in behaviour can have a positive effect on psychosomatic complaints such as stomach and abdominal pain due to stress.
Take time to rest, go to the toilet before leaving the house and try to adjust your eating habits. A balanced, healthy and fibre-rich diet as well as exercise is beneficial not only for the digestive tract but also for your general well-being. Nevertheless, these measures are not always sufficient.
In case of particularly strong or regular gastrointestinal complaints, a medical clarification should be carried out. If necessary, a gastrointestinal examination is carried out to ensure that no chronic disease is hidden behind the permanent abdominal pain. In the case of stomach complaints, drugs such as the so-called antacids can provide short-term relief by neutralising the stomach acid and thus protecting the stomach lining. Medications such as Buscopan with the active ingredient butylscopolamine bromide, which has an antispasmodic effect on the gastrointestinal tract, can also be helpful. However, antacids or Buscopan are not intended for the permanent treatment of stress-related abdominal pain and should therefore not be taken for longer than the period prescribed by the doctor or recommended on the package insert.
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