It’s a popular question from clients and one that I also had when I started working on healing my gut. How do you know when your gut is starting to heal?
We all want our gut healing to take place overnight, and I wish it was that quick. I dealt with a bunch of gut issues, including bloating, constipation, heartburn and reflux, many food sensitivities, chronic fatigue, and daily joint pain (and yes, gut issues are not just digestive-related). Gut issues almost always develop over time and so it takes some time to nourish, repair, and renew things. Factors like the length of time you have been dealing with gut issues, how severe your gut issues are, your health history, diet and lifestyle factors, and how persistent you are in following a gut healing plan can all affect the length of time it takes to heal your gut. For some, it takes just a couple of months and for others, it could take a year or more. If you’re at a point where you are feeling frustrated, I encourage you to keep going, friend. That is the only way to progress. And believe me, it’s absolutely worth it!
When I learned how to recognize gut healing in my own body, it helped to further strengthen my resolve to keep going. It was incredibly encouraging to know that the changes and work I had been doing were paying off in big ways.
I want you to be equipped with that knowledge as well so you can also be encouraged. So let’s explore how to identify when gut healing is taking place.
Signs That Your Gut is Healing:
- Digestive discomfort decreases: When your gut starts healing, it leads to more optimal digestion which helps with nutrient absorption. Symptoms like bloating, gas, and heartburn often disappear.
- Food sensitivities start going away: When the gut lining starts healing and inflammation goes down often food sensitivities will start decreasing or go away. Read this article to learn more about leaky gut.
- Acne and skin issues improve: internal healing in the gut helps heal external issues like acne and rashes to heal.
- Sleep improves: improved gut health often increases sleep quality which further helps with gut healing. Studies show that by increasing the diversity of the “good gut bugs”, sleep quality is increased.1
- Bowel movements improve: healing your gut helps improve regular and healthier bowel movements.
- Weight becomes more balanced: As your gut starts healing and working more efficiently, metabolism is supported and weight fluctuations decrease.
- Increased energy: With improved nutrient absorption and nourishment, vitality and energy are increased.
- Improved mood and less brain fog: The gut-brain axis is powerful. A healthy or unhealthy gut has the power to affect brain function, just as the brain has the power to affect the health of the gut.
- Reduced inflammation: Healing the gut can contribute to lowering whole-body inflammation, which is associated with diseases and other health issues.
While this is not an exhaustive list, being aware of these changes is so encouraging during the healing process.
Healing your gut can sometimes come with challenges but also comes with victories. My journey was frustrating at times, and sometimes it was two steps back instead of one step forward. But, the steps back can be valuable. What you learn from what doesn’t work can help you discover what does.
As you start working on gut healing, it’s important to remember that healing isn’t instant, but all the changes that you make do add up. When I learned to recognize what changes signaled that my gut was healing, it was incredibly encouraging and fueled my determination to keep going. I assure you, friend, your hard work won’t return to you void.
References:
- Smith, R. P., Easson, C., Lyle, S. M., Kapoor, R., Donnelly, C. P., Davidson, E. J., Parikh, E., Lopez, J. V., & Tartar, J. L. (2019). Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PloS one, 14(10), e0222394.
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