Bloating Symptoms: A Guide to Better Gut Health

Bloating Symptoms: What to Know About Digestive Issues

Bloating is a condition that causes pain and discomfort due to excessive air or gas in the gastrointestinal tract and is often associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Most bloating symptoms are temporary and can easily be managed through dietary adjustments and a healthy lifestyle.

If your stomach feels full, painful, and tight, it is typically due to indigestion, and your stomach is bloated. Overeating, consuming oily or spicy food, and unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as a lack of exercise and long hours of sitting, are the main causes of a bloated stomach. Scroll down to learn about bloating symptoms, causes, medicines and home remedies to relieve bloating and a better digestive system.

What are the symptoms of bloating?

Approximately 18% of people worldwide experience bloating once a week. Stomach bloating symptoms vary depending on duration and intensity. Here are a few stomach bloating symptoms:

• Abdominal discomfort
• Consistent pain
• Visible abdominal swelling
• Excessive gas
• Burping

In some cases, bloating causes unexpected symptoms, such as acid reflux or nausea.
 

What are the main causes of bloating?

From food intolerance to chronic disorders, several factors can cause bloating. Here are a few of these.

1. Gas: Bacteria in the gut digest carbohydrates and produce gases in the intestine and stomach. This is the primary reason for bloating, mild discomfort and pain. Symptoms of bloating due to gas formation may include a feeling of nausea and faecal urgency, along with frequent burping.
2. Digestive Tract Issues: Bacterial overgrowth, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome irritate and inflame the digestive tract. These digestive issues may include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and gas.
3. Fluid Retention: Hormonal changes, intake of salty food, and food infection can cause excessive fluid accumulation in the body tissues. Fluid retention can lead to chronic bloating and cause a feeling of abdominal heaviness.
4. Stomach Infection: Bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori and Escherichia coli, or viruses, such as rotavirus and norovirus, can cause stomach infections. This can be accompanied by vomiting, stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhoea, which indicate bloating.
5. Food Intolerance: If the body system faces difficulties in digesting certain foods, people become bloated, causing discomfort and gas. For example, people with lactose intolerance face difficulty in digesting dairy products, including cheese, milk, paneer, and yoghurt. People with gluten intolerance may experience bloating after eating cereals and breads.
6. Dietary Issues: Sometimes, consuming high-fibre foods, such as lentils, beans, cabbage, whole grains, and broccoli, causes gas in the stomach. Besides carbonated drinks, foods like soda, beer, and fried and fatty foods cause bloating and discomfort due to slow digestion.
7. Indigestion: Excessive eating, drinking alcohol regularly, eating too quickly and taking overdoses of medicines can cause pain or discomfort in the stomach that includes bloating. People with indigestion may experience bloating symptoms, such as a burning sensation in the abdomen, upset stomach, belching, and acid reflux.
8. Gastroparesis: In a condition where nerves and stomach muscles of the body stop functioning properly, stomach emptying gets delayed. Delayed stomach emptying induces a slow bowel movement through the intestine and stomach, which results in bloating.
9. Gynaecological Problems: A few gynaecological disorders, such as menopause or monthly periods, can cause bloating. For example, women mostly feel bloated and have stomach heaviness before periods and during pregnancy since the womb lining connects to the intestines or stomach. Unexplained weight loss, persistent bloating, and abdominal pain may be warning signs of underlying malignancies and should be evaluated by a healthcare provider.
10. Chronic Disorders: Some underlying health conditions, such as peptic ulcer, coeliac disease, and Crohn’s disease, may cause severe bloating. However, conditions like excess fluid in the abdominal cavity and gallbladder disease or gallbladder stones lead to bloating and abdominal pain.

However, stress impacts the digestive tract and increases the chances of bloating by producing excess stomach acid, slowing down the digestive process.

When to Seek Medical Help for Bloating?

Severe bloating can rarely lead to serious physical signs. If a person experiences any of the following signs, it is necessary to consult a doctor to take proper care.

• Having a sudden fever
• Intense abdominal pain
• Constant vomiting for longer than 24 hours
• Bloody stool
• Constipation
• Unexpected weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Breathing shortness
• Diarrhoea
   

How to Treat Bloating?

Apart from home remedies and dietary changes, medications can treat bloating. These are:

• Bismuth Salicylate: Health professionals prescribe bismuth salicylate to prevent bacterial infections in the stomach and treat diarrhoea.
• Antacids: A person feeling bloated can take antacids to break down the food and remove excess acid from the stomach.
• Laxative: A laxative helps to treat constipation within 6 to 12 hours by improving bowel movements.
• Antispasmodics: This type of medication helps to prevent muscle spasms and relieve bloating, fullness, and discomfort.
• Prokinetics: Prokinetic agents are drugs. These drugs help increase gastrointestinal motility, speed up digestion and remove waste and gas through the digestive tract to relieve bloating.
• Antibiotics: Antibiotics such as rifaximin may be prescribed in specific cases like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), but they are not standard treatment for general bloating 
   

What are the home remedies for treating digestive discomfort?

Several options can relieve bloating quickly. Here are some simple home remedies that work immediately and help prevent bloating in the future.

• Drink Herbal Teas and Warm Water: Regularly drinking warm water in the morning and after meals can stimulate digestion and relax digestive tract muscles. Moreover, herbal teas such as chamomile, peppermint and ginger soothe the digestive system to prevent bloating.
• Physical Activities: Engaging in physical fitness can improve digestion and promote daily bowel movements, which prevent bloating. For example, 30 to 60 minutes of regular exercise, such as walking, yoga, cycling, or swimming, and 15 minutes of brisk walking after every meal help improve gut health.
• Gentle Massage: Massaging the abdomen gently in a clockwise, circular motion helps move gas through the intestines and improves the digestive system, reducing the chances of bloating.
• Warm Compress: Applying a warm compress or heating pad for 15-20 minutes can relax muscles in the intestine and stomach. This can easily promote the movement of gas in the intestine and reduce bloating.
• Avoid Heavy Meals: Try to eat 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day instead of taking heavy meals 3 times. Taking smaller meals frequently will improve the digestive system and reduce bloating.
• Avoid Salt Intake: Limit salt intake in normal foods and completely avoid salty foods, such as chips, fast foods, packaged food items, and processed snacks, to prevent bloating.
• Dietary Modification: Incorporate potassium-rich vegetables and fruits and eat freshly cooked, healthy foods to maintain proper digestion.
• Manage Anxiety and Stress: Incorporating stress-relieving activities like meditation and yoga helps manage stress, improve the intestines' normal functioning, and remove excess gas.
   

Final Words

Bloating is a poor digestive condition caused by dietary issues, excessive eating, indigestion, food intolerance, stomach infections, and fluid retention. Stomach bloating symptoms may include excessive gas, constipation and abdominal pain. Medications mainly help manage symptoms of bloating. Everyone needs to stay hydrated, and regularly maintaining a schedule of physical activities can reduce the chances of developing bloating.