How to Spot the Hidden Signs of Digestive Disorder & Gut-Health Issues

For years, I thought I had a “good stomach.” I wasn’t running to the bathroom after meals, and I generally felt fine — or so I thought. But slowly, subtle signs started to creep in. I’d wake up tired no matter how long I’d slept, crave sugar mid-afternoon, and my skin, began breaking out around my chin. My moods were unpredictable — calm one day, anxious the next. I constantly felt bloated, and sluggish. Put on weight and back then, didn't connect the dots to gut disorder. But as I would later discover, the gut is often the first place your body whispers that something’s off.

Why the gut health matters — more than you think

The gut is far more than a food-processing tube. Your gastrointestinal (GI) tract doesn’t merely digest and eliminate food — it interacts with your immune system, your nervous system (the so-called gut-brain axis), your hormonal regulation and even your mood. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

In short, when your gut is out of balance, the effects may ripple far beyond uncomfortable digestion.

In this article, I want to share what I’ve learned — how to spot the hidden signs of digestive imbalance, what they really mean, and how you can start supporting your gut with natural tools including a few of my favourite Herbal Healing tea blends.

Why Your Gut Health Is So Much More Than a Digestion Machine

When we think of gut health, most of us imagine digestion — breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste. But the gut is so much more than that.

It’s home to trillions of bacteria, fungi, and microbes — collectively known as the gut microbiome — that communicate constantly with our immune system, hormones, and even our brain. In fact, scientists call the gut the “second brain” because of the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex network of neurons lining your intestines that talks directly to your central nervous system.

When this delicate ecosystem is in balance, everything runs smoothly. Your energy, mood, skin, and sleep feel steady. But when it’s out of balance — what we call unhealthy gut  — the effects ripple through your entire body.

The tricky part? The signs aren’t always obvious. Many of them hide behind symptoms we’ve been taught to shrug off.

The Hidden Signs of Digestive Imbalance

When I began learning about gut health — and later, helping clients through Herbal Healing — I started noticing the same pattern again and again. People didn’t have “classic” gut symptoms like stomach pain or heartburn. They had fatigue, brain fog, skin flare-ups, or even mood swings.

Here are some of the subtle clues that your gut might be asking for help.

1. Fatigue and Sluggish Energy

• This was my first red flag. I was sleeping eight hours but waking up exhausted. I blamed work stress, but the real issue was deeper: poor absorption and microbial imbalance.

  
  

• When your gut lining is inflamed or your beneficial bacteria are depleted, you simply don’t absorb nutrients like B12, iron, or magnesium efficiently. Over time, that leaves you running on empty.

• Did you know that the Para-sympathetic Nervous System regulates sleep and digestion. If you're not getting good sleep you are likely to have digestive issues, and can gain weight easily. If your gut is out of balance, it may have an impact on your sleep.

  
  

A great tea blend is my Herbal Healing Tummy & Digestive Tea — a soothing blend of ginger, peppermint, chamomile, and licorice root. It helps settle my stomach, improve motility, reducing bloating and calms that post-meal heaviness.

2. Brain Fog, Anxiety, or Mood Swings

• Your gut makes about 90% of your body’s serotonin, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter that regulates mood and sleep. So when your gut’s unhappy, your mind often follows.

  
  

• I used to have days where I just couldn’t focus — I’d read the same paragraph three times and still not remember it. Later, I learned this was linked to gut-brain axis disruption — inflammation and unhealthy gut altering communication between the gut and brain.

  
  

• Supporting the gut often lifts mental clarity. For me, using ashwagandha powder made a big difference. The adaptogens help regulate stress hormones that disrupt digestion, while the fiber feeds the good bacteria that produce calming neurotransmitters.

3. Skin Changes

• We don’t usually connect our skin to our gut — but we should. The gut plays a huge role in managing inflammation and detoxification. When that system is overloaded, your skin often becomes the “backup channel” for elimination.

• If you’re experiencing dullness, eczema, or new sensitivities, your gut might be struggling.A few simple steps help:

  • Increase plant *diversity (aim for 30 different plants per week).

  • Hydrate well.

  • Sip Herbal Healing’s Detox Tea, which pairs beautifully with our Tummy & Digestive Tea for a full inside-out reset.

*Note: Why diversity matters more than just “eating healthy”

If you eat the same salad, smoothie, or vegetable every day, your gut microbes get the same “fuel” repeatedly. Different plants contain different fibers, polyphenols, and prebiotics — each of which feeds different beneficial bacteria. So instead of just more vegetables, the goal is more kinds of plants.

4. Unexplained Weight Changes

• When your gut flora are imbalanced, they can alter how efficiently your body extracts calories and signals fullness. Some strains promote fat storage; others boost metabolism.

My go-to daily ritual now is:

• Morning: A smoothie with Ashwagandha, Lions Mane and Chaga [high in adaptogens and immunity support].

• Midday: A cup of Tummy & Digestive Tea to stimulate bile flow and support balanced metabolism.

• Evening: My Wellbeing Tea, that support blood sugars and hormonal balance.

These habits gently retrain the digestive system and regulate metabolism naturally.

5. Cravings and Food Intolerance

• When your gut bacteria are imbalanced, they can actually influence what you crave — particularly sugar and refined carbs. Those “bad” bacteria feed on simple sugars and send signals (yes, literally chemical signals!) to make you reach for more.

• At one point, I couldn’t get through the afternoon without something sweet. Once I rebuilt my gut microbiome, the cravings faded.

• Herbal Healing's Vitalitea, packed with potent Anti-oxidant herbs, provides a sweet treat in the afternoon, with a sweet tooth alternative of Stevia Leaf (Stevia rebaudiana), a natural sweetener.

6. Bloating and Gas That Feels “Normal”

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: bloating.We’ve normalized it so much that many people think it’s just part of modern life. It’s not.

• Occasional bloating happens, sure, but if you regularly feel distended, gassy, or “puffy” by evening, that’s a sign your digestion isn’t working optimally — possibly due to enzyme insufficiency, bacterial overgrowth, or slowed motility. Gut Feelings tea is packed with Enzymes to assist with gut efficiency.

• I tend to brew a large mug of Tummy Tea after lunch or dinner. Its natural carminative herbs — ginger, fennel, peppermint — help reduce trapped gas, ease cramping, and stimulate healthy movement. It’s gentle enough for daily use but powerful enough to reset digestion after a heavy meal.

7. Sleep Struggles and Restlessness

• The gut produces hormones like melatonin and serotonin that regulate sleep. If your microbiome is disrupted, you may find it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep.

• If you're tossing and turning during the night, only to wake up feeling foggy and irritable. What might help is focusing on evening digestion: light dinners before 6.30pm [at the latest], a digestive calming tea like "chamomile" tea, or the Tummy Tea [with natural sweetness] instead of sugary desserts, and magnesium as part of my Sleep Support Range.

A nightly ritual of sipping Sleep Tea while winding down helps calm the nervous system and prepare the body for rest.

Let's take a look at the Step-by-Step checklist to assess your digestive health

Here’s a practical “gut-health self-screen” you can work through. If you tick multiple boxes over a 4-8 week period, it’s time to act.

Practical steps for reclaiming gut health

Now let’s move from spotting signs to action. These steps are designed to support gut repair, resilience and balance.

A. Nutrition & eating habits

1. Increase dietary fibre and pre-biotics: Vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, nuts, seeds — feed your good gut bacteria.

2. Diversify plant foods: Aim for 30+ different plant-based foods/week to build microbial diversity.

3. Minimise ultra-processed foods: These often carry additives, emulsifiers, high sugar — detrimental to gut microbes.

4. Chew thoroughly, eat slowly: This aids digestion, reduces swallowed air, and improves nutrient absorption.

5. Include fermented foods: Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut — may support microbial diversity.

6. Regular hydration: Ensures proper motility, stool formation, microbial environment.

7. Identify and moderate trigger foods: If you notice consistent symptom flare after certain foods (dairy, gluten), keep a food-symptom diary.

8. Time your eating: Avoid late heavy meals, eating right before bed can impact motility, sleep and gut recovery.

B. Lifestyle support

1. Improve sleep habits: Aim for 7–9 hours; poor sleep disrupts gut ecology.

2. Manage stress: Chronic stress derails gut-brain communication, alters motility and microbial balance. Practices like mindfulness, breathing, yoga, or simple walks help.

3. Maintain regular physical activity: Movement stimulates gut motility and supports microbiome health.

4. Limit unnecessary antibiotic use and heavy alcohol: Both can damage your microbial ecosystem.

5. Good dental/oral hygiene: Remember, oral health links to digestive health — bad breath, gum problems, coated tongue may reflect gut signals. (See earlier note)

C. Targeted support & supplements (with caution)

While real food and lifestyle always come first, some people may benefit from targeted support:

1. Probiotics / fermented foods: To support a healthier microbial balance (especially after antibiotics or persistent symptoms).

2. Prebiotic fibre blends: To ensure your beneficial microbes have “food” (especially if your diet is low in fibre).

3. Gut-soothing herbs: E.g., ginger, peppermint, chamomile can support mild digestive discomfort.

4. Enzyme/bile support: If digestion of fats, proteins is sluggish.

   
   

D. When to seek professional help

You should consult a healthcare provider when:

• Your symptoms are persistent or worsening (over 4–8 weeks).

• You have red-flag symptoms (see section 3).

• You suspect Mal-absorption (e.g., low iron/B12 despite supplementation).

• Digestive symptoms are affecting quality of life or mental health.

Listening to your body & being proactive

Your body gives you signals — if you listen.

Digestive disorders and gut-health issues aren’t always dramatic from the outset; they can creep in via fatigue, mood shifts, skin changes, altered bowel-habits or sugar-cravings. The good news: they’re often modifiable.

By keeping a gut-health diary, addressing the most common risk-areas (diet, stress, sleep, movement), and acting early when you spot more than one warning sign, you can shift your trajectory. And if things don’t improve — or you hit red-flag symptoms — don’t delay seeing a professional.

Remember: a healthy gut supports so much more than digestion. It supports your mood, immunity, sleep, skin and energy. Spotting the hidden signs early gives you the best chance of restoring balance and thriving.