Have you ever had a “gut feeling” about something? Or noticed your stomach twist during stress? This isn’t your imagination — your gut and brain are constantly talking to each other. And when inflammation shows up in the gut or body, it can shape how you think, feel, and function.

In this article, we’ll explore what inflammation really is, how it affects your mood, and simple steps you can take today to support your gut–brain connection.

What Is Inflammation? (And Why It Matters for Mood)

Inflammation is your body’s natural way of healing. When you cut your finger or fight a cold, inflammation helps you recover. That’s acute inflammation, and it’s a good thing.

But chronic inflammation — a slow, ongoing immune response — is different. This type of inflammation can quietly influence your:

• Mood
  
• Energy levels
  
• Focus
  
• Stress tolerance
  
• Sleep
  
• Motivation
  

Research shows that chronic inflammation plays a role in depression, anxiety, and even cognitive fog.

The Gut–Brain Connection: Your Two-Way Highway

Scientists call this pathway the microbiota–gut–brain axis — but all that means is your gut and brain send messages back and forth all day long in three major ways:

1. The Immune Pathway

Your gut houses most of your immune system. When the gut becomes inflamed, it produces cytokines — immune signals that can travel through the body and influence the brain.

2. The Nervous System Pathway

The vagus nerve is like a superhighway running between your gut and your brain.
It can carry messages about stress, inflammation, and even the types of microbes living in your gut.

3. The Chemical Pathway

Gut microbes help produce or influence chemicals linked to mood, like:

• Serotonin
  
• GABA
  
• Dopamine
  
• Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
  

When your gut is balanced, these chemicals support calm, focus, and resilience.
When it’s inflamed, the signals can change.

How Gut Inflammation Affects Your Mood

Here’s the step-by-step science — explained simply:

1. Your Gut Lining Becomes More Permeable (“Leaky Gut”)

Stress, low-fiber diets, processed foods, alcohol, or infections can weaken the gut lining.
This allows small bacterial fragments like LPS to enter the bloodstream.

2. These Fragments Trigger Inflammation

Your immune system reacts by releasing inflammatory cytokines (like IL-6 or TNF-α).
These circulate throughout your body — including to the brain.

3. Inflammation Reaches the Brain

Inflammatory signals can affect brain cells that regulate:

• Mood
  
• Motivation
  
• Stress response
  
• Concentration
  
• Sleep
  

They also influence the HPA axis, your stress-hormone system, which is often dysregulated in mood disorders.

4. Stress and Mood Then Affect the Gut Backwards

It becomes a loop:
Stress → gut changes → inflammation → mood changes → more gut changes.

This is why addressing just the mind or just the body is incomplete.
We need both.

What Research Tells Us

Recent studies show:

• Gut imbalance and inflammation are linked to mood disorders — including depression and anxiety.
• People with mood symptoms often have higher inflammatory markers like IL-6 or TNF-α.
  
• Some individuals with depression show changes in their gut-microbiome makeup.
  
• Gut-directed treatments (diet, probiotics, lifestyle changes) may reduce inflammation and support mood.

The science is evolving, but the connection is real — and promising.

Why You Can Feel “Off” Even Without Digestive Symptoms

You don’t need gut pain or IBS to have gut-related inflammation.

Hidden gut inflammation may come from:

• Stress
  
• Poor sleep
  
• Too much sugar or processed food
  
• Low-fiber diet
  
• Medication use (like NSAIDs or antibiotics)
  
• Alcohol
  
• Sedentary lifestyle
  

Your mood, however, may feel it long before your stomach does.

How to Support a Healthy Gut–Brain Connection

These steps are simple, realistic, and grounded in research. You don’t need to be perfect — just consistent.

1. Feed Your Gut Foods That Reduce Inflammation

Try adding:

• Colorful vegetables & fruits
  
• Whole grains
  
• Beans & lentils
  
• Nuts & seeds
  
• Fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut)
  
• Omega-3 rich foods (salmon, sardines, walnuts)
  

Try reducing:

• Highly processed foods
  
• Sugary snacks and drinks
  
• Excess alcohol
  
• Trans fats
  

Small nutritional shifts can have measurable effects on inflammation.

2. Prioritize Stress Support

Even low-grade daily stress affects your gut.
Try:

• Deep breathing
  
• Mindfulness
  
• Gentle movement
  
• “Micro-breaks” during your day
  
• Time in nature
  
• Journaling
  
• Therapy or coaching
  

These practices help calm the vagus nerve and support gut balance.

3. Support Healthy Sleep

Sleep is one of the most powerful inflammation-reducers we have.

Try aiming for:

• 7–9 hours
  
• A consistent sleep–wake schedule
  
• Winding down with low-light and no screens 30–60 minutes before bed
  

Better sleep = calmer immune system = better mood.

4. Move Your Body (Kindly and Consistently)

You don’t need intense workouts. Even gentle activity helps reduce inflammation.

Examples:

• A 10-minute walk
  
• Stretching
  
• Yoga
  
• Strength training
  
• Dancing in your kitchen
  

Movement supports digestion, mood chemicals, and overall well-being.

5. Work With a Provider Who Understands the Gut–Brain Axis

If mood symptoms persist, consider speaking with an integrative mental health specialist.
You may benefit from:

• A nutrition review
  
• Gut-health assessment
  
• Functional lab testing
  
• Inflammation markers
  
• Personalized lifestyle and supplement guidance
  

This is especially helpful for chronic anxiety, depression, or cognitive fog.

Next Steps: How Dr. Lewis Can Support You

If you’re struggling with persistent mood symptoms, feeling inflamed, or sensing something “deeper” is going on, you’re not alone — and you’re not imagining it.

The gut–brain connection is real, and your body may be asking for support.

Here are three ways to start:

1. Read another gut–health and mental health blog:

2. Explore the BLISS Protocol

Our signature program blends functional medicine, psychiatry, and lifestyle support to help you uncover root causes and feel better—inside and out.

3. Book a Consultation

If you’re ready to understand your symptoms on a deeper level, we’re here to guide you compassionately and clearly.

References

1. Appleton, J., et al. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Behaviour.
2. O’Riordan, K. J., et al. (2025). The gut microbiota–immune–brain axis.
3. Rosas-Sánchez, G. U., et al. (2025). Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders: A Narrative Review.
4. Guo, Z., Xiao, S., Chen, G., et al. (2024). Disruption of the gut microbiota-inflammation–brain axis in unmedicated bipolar disorder II depression.
5. Clapp, M., et al. (2017). Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut–brain axis.