Your capacity to work and engage in social or leisure activities may be hampered by abdominal bloating. Bloating is a common occurrence in both children and adults.
When gas or air fills the gastrointestinal (GI) system, it causes abdominal bloating. The majority of individuals define bloating as having a tight, bloated, or full abdomen. Additionally, you may experience pain, hardness, and swelling in your abdomen. Bloating frequently occurs with:
discomfort from too much gas (flatulence)
frequent belching or burping, gurgles, or rumbling in the abdomen
Treatments to prevent or alleviate bloating
Changes in lifestyle
A few easy lifestyle modifications, including decreasing weight if you’re overweight, can often reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of stomach bloating.
To lessen excessive air swallowing, you can:
Do not chew gum. Bloating can result from chewing gum because it causes you to swallow more air.
Don’t consume too many fizzy beverages.
Steer clear of foods that make you gas, like lentils, dried beans, and plants in the cabbage family.
Avoid sipping with a straw and eat slowly.
If you are lactose intolerant, use dairy products that are lactose-free.
Additionally, probiotics might aid in the replenishment of beneficial gut flora. Probiotic efficacy has been the subject of conflicting research. According to one assessment, probiotics had a moderate impact on bloating reduction, with 70% of respondents agreeing. Probiotics are present in Greek yogurt and kefir.
Purchase Greek yogurt and kefir online.
Drugs
If dietary and lifestyle modifications fail to reduce bloating in your abdomen, consult your physician. Your doctor might suggest medical therapies if they determine that your bloating has a medical reason.
Depending on your situation, treatment may involve the use of antidepressants, antibiotics, or antispasmodics.
What’s causing your bloating?
Health-related reasons
Medical disorders could be the cause of more bloating. These consist of:
IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome
Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are examples of inflammatory bowel diseases.
Heartburn
Intolerance to certain foods
gaining weight
flow of hormones, particularly in women
Giardiasis, an infection caused by intestinal parasites
Eating disorders like bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa
mental health variables such as stress, anxiety, sadness, and more some drugs
These illnesses result in the following causes of gas and bloating:
excessive or insufficient bacterial growth in the GI tract, gas buildup, altered gut motility, or impaired gas transit aberrant reflexes in the abdomen
visceral hypersensitivity, which is the sensation of bloating in minor or even typical bodily changes
Constipation due to malabsorption of food and carbohydrates
Important reasons
Additionally, abdominal bloating may indicate a number of dangerous illnesses, such as:
pathologic fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity (ascites) brought on by liver illness, kidney failure, congestive heart failure, or malignancy (such as ovarian cancer).
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity or celiac illness
The inability of the pancreas to produce adequate digestive enzymes results in pancreatic insufficiency, which impairs digestion.
Gas, normal GI microorganisms, and other materials can leak into the abdominal cavity due to a GI tract hole.
Air and gas
Gas is the most common cause of bloating, especially after eating. Gas builds up in the digestive tract when undigested food gets broken down or when you swallow air. Everyone swallows air when they eat or drink. But some people can swallow more than others, especially if they are:
Consuming food or beverages too quickly
smoking, chewing gum, and having loose dentures
The two ways that swallowed air exits the body are burping and flatulence. Bloating and distension of the abdomen can also result from gas buildup and delayed stomach emptying (slow gas transfer).
Knowing when to visit a physician
If you experience any of the following symptoms in addition to bloating, see your doctor:
persistent or severe stomach pain
black, tarry-looking feces or blood in the stools
elevated fevers
worsening of the diarrhea Heartburn
throwing up
Unaccounted-for weight loss