Scared Sh*tless: Nervous Pooping Is Real
There’s a reason for the catchphrase, and science is here to explain why.
By Kristen Heinzinger
When I was a kid, I was notorious for being the best and the worst at hide-and-seek. I was the best because my smaller-than-average body size allowed me to hide in the weirdest places (inside a guitar case, for example). But I was also the worst—whenever I heard, “Ready or not, here I come!” I knew that the person who was “It” was not the only thing coming. It was also nervous poop.
Fast-forward to adult years, I’ve mostly outgrown this super sexy GI response, but still, in instances where nerves run rampant or I’m in a highly stressful situation, that same urge to go arises. And that gut-reaction to nerves, whether from excitement, stress or fear, is not uncommon—there’s a reason for the phrase “scared sh*tless” or a “feeling in the pit of your stomach.”
Like most things, there’s science to explain this phenomenon—specifically something called the gut-brain axis. Nerves and stress are physiological and psychologically connected to the digestive system—which, yes, essentially means the digestive system has a mind of its own. The axis connects our central nervous system to our enteric nervous system (ENS), which acts as the gut’s nervous system, according to Healthline. The ENS helps regulate processes in the gastrointestinal tract. But it also has an effect on our emotions and behavior because it’s linked to our brains. So, stress can cause the colon to contract abnormally, leading to a poo-mergency and sometimes the runs—but to make things even more complicated, these IBS-like symptoms can also trigger anxiety, and then we find ourselves in one endless poop-stress cycle.
Our built-in fight-or-flight response also plays a role. When we’re under stress or afraid, our adrenal glands are stimulated as our body goes into survival mode, which pumps adrenaline through our veins—you know, so we can outrun that lion, or in today’s world, face a horrible boss.
The good news is there are a few basic (albeit, not guaranteed) ways to combat this potentially humiliating situation.
- Decrease caffeine intake. As a stimulant, caffeine does more than get you up and going every day—it does the same for your digestive system.
- Pay attention to what you eat, and avoid foods that give you a rumbly gut (Gluten? Dairy? Sugar?)
- Destress by doing de-stressing things—exercise, yoga, meditation, a hot bath—whatever that means for you.
- Consider increasing fiber intake to ensure BMs are more regular.
So before we face our triggering scenario, whether it’s a rollercoaster ride, giving a presentation or escaping a wild animal, we can practice a few of these things—and cross our fingers.