Keep getting tummy aches? The reason might surprise you

THe agony in Katie Buckley’s stomach was crippling. Nothing would relieve it, not painkillers, a hot water bottle or antacids. every few minutes, a spasm racked her body, leaving her gasping and gripping the mattress in a cold sweat. Sleep was impossible.

But Katie knew there was no point calling the doctor, she knew what was causing her dreadful stomach ache: it was the thought of her 12-year-old daughter ellie’s school trip to Spain the next day.

She wasn’t worried about anything specific; she knew ellie was a sensible child. Her underlying disquiet, however, at her youngest child being so far away, was creating physical symptoms over which she had no control.

These so-called ‘stress stomach aches’ are at epidemic proportions in the UK, with 88 per cent of us suffering some sort of tummy trouble in the past year.

‘Women may have a more finely-tuned nervous system than men,’ says Dr Anton emmanuel, of the British Society of Gastroenterology. ‘It makes them better able to express their emotions, but the downside is they’re more vulnerable to stress and also tend to internalise their feelings more.’

Our emotions and our digestive functions are inextricably linked, because when we are feeling anxious our body releases adrenaline — the ‘fight or flight’ hormone intended to help us deal with stressful situations.

Unfortunately, this adrenaline diverts the blood supply away from the stomach towards our heart and lungs, effectively switching off a digestive system it doesn’t see as critical in times of crisis.

Nutritional therapist Alison Cullen says: ‘This means you’re not producing enough digestive enzymes to help your food travel through the digestive tract and be broken down effectively. It leads to uncomfortable distension of the abdomen and painful inflammation of the gut wall.’

Women are twice as likely to experience severe stress than men, as they juggle lives as both breadwinners and homemakers — sometimes as single parents. So it’s no wonder they’re suffering.

FemAle hormones, meanwhile, also play a part, according to Dr laurence Gerlis, of the GP service samedaydoctor.org. ‘Oestrogen and progesterone are designed to impact on the smooth muscle of the womb,’ he says.

‘However, we also have smooth muscle in our intestines, so any change in hormone levels can affect bowel and stomach function, too. This can cause constipation and stomach upsets during the menopause, in pregnancy and while taking the Pill.

‘We also see this materialise as IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] in young women when they get an oestrogen surge during puberty.’

Katie, a full-time teaching assistant and mum to Olivia, 14, and ellie, says her stomach problems began in earnest eight years ago, when her seven-year marriage was falling apart. Torn between protecting her girls, and earning enough to keep the family warm and fed, her stress levels soared — all of which she hid from family and friends.

‘I wouldn’t dream of snapping at the children or shouting at colleagues when under pressure. I keep my problems to myself. Pretty soon, I started to develop stomach aches most weeks.’

Katie was prescribed antispasmodic drugs to help relax her gut lining and stop the muscle cramping. ‘I really don’t want to be dependent on medication, but it makes me so miserable,’ she says.

For some women, stomach aches are sparked by simple domestic tiffs. lynda lim, 65, a part-time model from london, says even the pettiest of rows with Stephen, a retired chef and her partner of four years, can leave her in agony. ‘We bicker over what to watch on TV, or Stephen not seeming satisfied with the dinner I’ve cooked, or even spending too much time on his computer instead of talking to me,’ says lynda.

‘We normally argue in the evenings and I feel the tension build in my stomach leading to a sharp stabbing pain. If we don’t resolve the issue before bedtime, I can wake up in a cold sweat because it hurts so much.’

lifestyle can also be a factor. With more women burning the candle at both ends, their diet is also likely to be chaotic, causing another raft of problems.

lynn Anderton, a therapist from Bebington, merseyside, often spends nights in agony, due to a late-night sugar habit — again caused by stress.

‘I spend the day immersed in other people’s problems and sweets are my way of switching off,’ says lynn, 54, who is separated and has a grown-up son.

She started gorging on wine gums and jelly babies after setting up her own life coaching business two years ago. ‘I can gobble down two large packets in one sitting, lost in the joy of eating,’ she says.

But sugar plays havoc with our digestive systems. ‘It gives us energy by also activating the adrenal surge in our blood stream,’ says Alison Cullen. Sure enough, three hours after lynn’s sugar binges she invariably wakes with crippling cramps.

She has put on a stone over the past two years. In the mornings she is exhausted, leading to more sugar binges and more stomach aches: ‘I know sweets are a form of sabotage but I need the release and can’t help myself.’

Alison says: ‘Caffeine and alcohol — regular “props” in times of worry — also raise adrenaline levels, which is why it’s ironic when people “reward” themselves with a glass of wine after a long day, when in fact they risk aggravating stomach-related symptoms of stress.’

‘Sugar, caffeine and alcohol also use up magnesium — a mineral that helps reduce muscle spasm and pain perception. And alcohol requires B vitamins to digest — a lack of which makes your nervous system more sensitive to stress, leading to a vicious circle.’

While we normally refer to the area below our belly button as our stomach, that is is actually the lower abdomen and home to our digestive tract. The stomach — located directly below the ribcage — can be susceptible to its own problems in the form of ulcers.

When you’re stressed you produce less mucus and bicarbonate which both protect the stomach lining from stomach acid. This means the acid is more likely to cause a burn — known as an ulcer — in the stomach wall.

Yet even with the best diet and relationships, women can also be stricken by terrible stomach aches. The reason? They don’t get enough sleep, as Pollyanna Hale, a mother-of-two and weight-loss coach, from Bosham, West Sussex, can testify.

Pollyanna, 32, who is married to James, 36, a property developer, started suffering stomach aches after her daughter Bella was born in September 2012.

‘With the constant feeds, I averaged five hours sleep a night. I couldn’t nap during the day because I had Bella’s sister, Aurora, then three, to care for.’

ExHAUSTeD, she started to suffer from fluctuating constipation and diarrhoea. ‘The more tired and stressed I got the more stomach aches I had. eating healthily made no difference. I looked so bloated strangers would ask if I was pregnant.’

Tests last summer revealed that she had a bacterial infection in her stomach — common in those who are constantly stressed.

‘We don’t know why, but lack of sleep also lowers the body’s magnesium levels,’ says Alison.

Worringly, more young women are developing ‘stress stomach aches’ at an age when they should be carefree. Charleh Dickinson, 21, was afflicted throughout her time at university. ‘I felt under pressure to succeed,’ says Charleh, who graduated from Sheffield Hallam University this summer. ‘In the past year I’ve stayed up all night writing dissertations, drinking a cup of coffee every 90 minutes to stay awake.’ The stress, compounded by endless caffeine, caused painful bloating. ‘At my most stressed the tummy aches could last for a fortnight.’ Charleh, from Warrington, Cheshire, says her stomach aches have lessened now she has left university — but with two fledgling careers in the pipeline, as a social media manager and confectionary company owner — her high stress levels may well return, as she admits: ‘I’m competitive and want to do well.’

So what can we do to ease abdominal pain?

Aside from prescription antispasmodic drugs, over-the-counter options include magnesium supplements which may aid digestion. Gel supplements containing silicic acid can also help smooth the lining of the stomach and intestine to minimise cramps, and peppermint tea is known for its soothing effect on our digestive system.

But first and foremost we need to deal with our soaring stress levels, which, it seems, pose as great a threat to our stomachs as they do to our sanity.