7 Signs Your Gut May Be Inflamed
Digestive symptoms, energy crashes, food reactions, and anxiety can all be connected to gut inflammation. If you’ve been dealing with ongoing digestive discomfort, bloating, fatigue, or unpredictable reactions to food, your gut may be under more strain than you realize.
Here’s the thing.
Gut inflammation is rarely the starting point. More often, it’s the result of digestion being under strain over time due to stress, food patterns, or how well your body is breaking food down.
Your body isn’t broken.
It’s communicating.
Below are seven common signs I see in practice that can point toward gut inflammation, along with what your body may actually be asking for underneath them.
1. Ongoing bloating or abdominal discomfort
Bloating that shows up regularly, especially after meals, is one of the most common signs that digestion isn’t flowing smoothly.
This can happen when stomach acid is low, enzymes aren’t keeping up, or food is moving too slowly through the digestive tract. Over time, that stagnation can irritate the gut lining and contribute to inflammation.
This isn’t about eliminating more foods. It’s about supporting the digestive process itself.
2. Constipation, loose stools, or alternating between the two
Stool consistency and regularity give us a lot of information about what’s happening in the gut.
When certain microbes are present in overgrowth, they can disrupt motility and stool formation. That imbalance creates ongoing stress in the digestive tract, which can further fuel inflammation.
If your bowel habits feel unpredictable, it’s a signal worth listening to, not something to brush off as normal.
3. Increased food sensitivities
Feeling like your body reacts to more and more foods can be incredibly frustrating.
When digestion is compromised and food isn’t being broken down effectively, larger food particles can make their way through the gut lining and into the bloodstream. The immune system often doesn’t recognize these particles and may mount a response.
As a result, foods that were once tolerated may suddenly lead to bloating, discomfort, fatigue, or other reactions.
This doesn’t mean you need to live on a shrinking list of safe foods. It often means digestion and the gut lining need more support so things can settle and function more smoothly again.
With the right support, many people find they’re able to tolerate foods more comfortably again over time.
4. Fatigue and energy crashes
The gut plays a key role in how your body absorbs nutrients and produces steady energy.
When digestion is under strain, nutrients aren’t absorbed as efficiently, and energy levels can feel more unpredictable. This often shows up as afternoon crashes, constant snacking, trouble sleeping, or feeling wiped out even when you’re eating well.
Steady energy is often a reflection of steady digestion.
5. Brain fog or trouble focusing
When digestion is under strain, it can affect how clearly you think and how well you’re able to focus.
Poor digestion can interfere with nutrient absorption and increase overall inflammatory load, which may show up as brain fog, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or feeling mentally sluggish.
Many women notice that when their gut feels off, their thinking feels off too. As digestion improves, mental clarity often follows.
6. Anxiety, stress sensitivity, or mood changes
The gut and brain are on the same communication axis, which means what’s happening in the gut often influences how you feel mentally and emotionally, and vice versa.
Ever notice butterflies in your stomach before a stressful conversation or an anxious moment? That’s your gut and brain talking to each other.
When the gut is under ongoing stress, it can send frequent stress signals to the brain, keeping the body in a more reactive state. Over time, this can make it harder to feel calm, grounded, and resilient, even when life circumstances haven’t changed.
This is why gut support and nervous system care often go hand in hand.
7. Skin issues like rashes or breakouts
Your skin is often an outward reflection of what’s happening internally.
Certain gut microbes can influence inflammation throughout the body, including the skin. Breakouts, redness, or unexplained rashes can sometimes trace back to what’s happening in the gut.
Clearer skin often follows optimized digestion and a more balanced gut.
Why gut inflammation isn’t the real root cause
Inflammation is a response. It’s your body waving a flag and asking for support.
In many cases, gut inflammation develops because digestion has been imbalanced over time due to ongoing digestive strain, microbial imbalances, chronic stress, food sensitivities, or dietary patterns that don’t fully support digestion.
That’s why guessing, restricting, or chasing quick fixes rarely brings lasting results.
The goal is to understand why your gut is under strain and address that root cause with clarity and intention.
A grounded path forward
Small changes really do lead to big shifts.
Supporting digestion may include things like improving stomach acid balance, enzyme output, and bile flow, alongside nervous system regulation and targeted nutrition. To get clear on what’s actually happening beneath the surface, I use functional lab testing to guide personalized support.
You don’t need more rules. You need a clearer picture.
If this list feels familiar, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It means your body is talking.
And you don’t have to figure it out alone.
I help busy women in midlife uncover the root causes of their gut and hormone imbalances so they can finally fix the issues for good and feel at home in their bodies again.
Book your complimentary consult and let’s uncover the next step for your health.