Todd asks:

Consequences of eating in a “sympathetic” state on digestion and GI health?

Listening to Endurance Planet is always a staple of my Saturday long run.  Thanks for continuing to put out a show that is high quality and an enjoyable listen.

In ATC 355, near the end of the episode, Tawnee mentioned a condition in which a person thinks he/she is relaxed but in fact — by objective measurements — the person is really quite tense.  The result, Tawnee said, is that the person really cannot digest food well, leading to GI and other issues.

Can you direct me to more information on this condition and how possibly to overcome it?  It sounds like a condition that might be afflicting me, and I would like to find some relief. Thank you again for an outstanding show.

What the coaches say:

Sympathetic vs parasympathetic

• When we feel or are in a state of stress, anxiety, etc, the “fight or flight” response of the central nervous system is triggered, this is called a sympathetic state.
• In this process, the body’s response is to slow down or stop digestion (or in some cases speed up, e.g. diarrhea).
• It’s a primal survival type mechanism—our way to “save energy to run from the tiger” so to speak, it’s the body’s way of shutting down digestion so that more of the body’s energy can be diverted to the situation causing the threat.
  • Hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol increase in sympathetic state.
  • But cortisol, etc, has to lower for parasympathetic activation.
  • This imbalance over time can lend to adrenal fatigue, for example.
• The problem of modern life is that many of us are stuck in hyperdrive sensing constant threats or being under attack all of the time. Sympathetic dominance results and we are unable to slip into a parasympathetic state, when it matters, like at mealtime.
  • This can also result from past trauma or PTSD that hasn’t been properly dealt with.

Signs of sympathetic dominance:

• blood sugar imbalance 
• brain fog
• chronic fatigue
• difficulty recovering
• sleep issues
• lowered immune function
• hormone imbalances 
• ultimately over time: malabsorption, leaky gut, dysbiosis, opportunistic bacteria or pathogens, chronic inflammation, chronic disease

Re-training mind & body

Work on getting body into parasympathetic – known as “rest and digest” via:

• diaphragmatic breathing
• meditation
• anything calming
• vagal tone exercises – humming, gargling, cold water face splash
• positive thinking

As it relates to eating

• We see this issue a lot in athletes who are often ravenous, lacking routine or rhythm to eating habits, eating on the go, eating really fast, multi-tasking while eating mindlessly, etc…
• Sympathetic arousal and being in that state is an ADDICTION! It takes work, consistency and discipline to break this cycle and tap into parasympathetic state.
• Take the time to cook often and set a calm environment at mealtime, this helps start the process of relaxation and heck sometimes a little wine helps too 😉 But try to establish a routine around food. Sit down at a table in a normal position not half off the chair, etc. Connect with your food. Breathe deeply before you eat. Light candles. Make the environment more conducive to relaxation! 
• Seasons of life, just do your best, for example tawnee is in a season with small kids so mealtime isn’t always a relaxing “date night” vibe. She says she rarely gets to sit down and enjoy a whole dinner without interruption. Doing my best in the season I’m in. Awareness is key.