Gut feelings: how gut health shapes nervous system balance
When we talk about nervous system regulation, many people picture the brain and spinal cord. But there’s another major player in the story: your gut.
What is the gut-nervous system link?
The gut is often called the “second brain” because of the enteric nervous system (ENS) - a vast network of neurons (nerve cells) lining your digestive tract. This system communicates directly with the central nervous system through the vagus nerve, creating what scientists call the gut–brain axis.
Why does it matter?
The gut and nervous system are in constant conversation. Stress in the brain can slow digestion, cause bloating, or change gut motility (the way food moves through the gut). At the same time, an imbalanced gut microbiome (the trillions of bacteria living in your intestines) can send stress signals back to the brain, affecting mood, sleep, and resilience.
Some key connections include:
Neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that carry signals between nerve cells): Around 90% of serotonin - known as the ‘feel-good chemical’, a neurotransmitter linked to mood, motivation, and emotional regulation - is produced in the gut. The microbes in our intestines can influence both the amount of serotonin available and how it’s used, directly affecting how we feel.
Immune function: The gut is home to about 70% of our immune cells. When the microbiome is out of balance, the immune system can become overactive, leading to inflammation (the body’s stress response). This inflammation doesn’t just affect digestion - it also changes how the nervous system works and how resilient we feel.
Vagal tone (how active the vagus nerve is, helping the body switch into “rest and digest” mode): Signals from the gut - like chemical by-products of digestion and the gentle stretching of the gut as food moves through - influence vagus nerve activity and support a healthy parasympathetic response.
What can we do about it?
Supporting gut health is essential for nervous system balance. Evidence suggests several strategies can help:
Diet: Perhaps an obvious suggestion, but it would be remiss to not state that eating a varied, fibre-rich diet supports a diverse microbiome, which is linked to better emotional health and lower risk of anxiety and depression.
Yoga and breathwork: Practices that gently massage the abdominal organs and stimulate the vagus nerve - such as twists, diaphragmatic breathing, and restorative postures - can enhance both digestion and relaxation.
Stress management: Chronic stress diverts blood away from the digestive system (because the body prioritises muscles and the heart in “fight or flight” mode). Over time, this reduced blood flow can weaken digestion and disrupt the microbiome (the community of bacteria in the gut). Stress hormones like cortisol also change the balance of gut bacteria, often lowering diversity. This can make digestion less efficient, increase inflammation, and send distress signals back to the brain. Regular nervous system resets - through breathwork, yoga, or relaxation techniques - help restore blood flow to the gut, maintain a healthier microbial environment, and protect overall gut function.
Sleep: Good-quality sleep gives the gut time to repair, supports stable microbiome communities (encouraging growth of good bacteria in your tummy), and allows the nervous system to reset. Poor sleep disrupts gut motility (how food moves), alters hormones, and reduces microbial diversity, which can increase inflammation and send stress signals back to the brain. Hence why sleep loss is so often tied to digestive issues and emotional imbalance.
The bigger picture
When we look after gut health, we’re not just caring for digestion - we’re directly supporting the nervous system’s ability to regulate, restore, and keep us resilient. This is why I’m super picky about where I choose to host retreats, and also why I include gut-supporting practices and tools in my classes and workshops.
My upcoming retreat Wild Reset: A Nervous System Yoga Retreat is hosted at 42 Acres where all meals are prepared fresh on site as part of their “Soil to Gut” food philosophy. Ingredients are organic, seasonal, and either wild-foraged or grown right there on the farm. Divine! For more information, head on over to the retreat page.