If you've ever asked yourself, "Why am I bloated?", you are not alone. We've all experienced the discomfort that bloating causes. We feel uncomfortable, our pants won't button and it's oftentimes painful.
Maybe you ate too much dinner, but what happens when you have not overeaten and still feel bloated? The truth is that there are many causes of bloatedness. Maybe there is an underlying medical problem responsible for other non-food-related causes.
Take a look at some of the most common reasons people experience bloating and gas. Along with causes, we'll provide a few potential treatments so you can get rid of the uncomfortable bloating sooner rather than later.
Overeating
Overeating is the overwhelming primary cause of most cases of bloating and gas. It's probably the first thing you consider if you feel bloated. Many people overeat before they realize that it has happened. You can minimize overeating and the accommodating bloatedness and feel better.
You can do this by eating smaller portion sizes of food; even a small reduction in portion size can help. Portion plates and small dinner plates are available for purchase. Using them certainly makes portioning your meal sizes much easier.
Another not-so-easy thing to do is to slow down when you eat. In our fast-paced world, the need to eat quickly is oftentimes born of self-preservation. However, eating slower gives your body time to digest the food that you eat so it can signal to the brain when it is full. As we said, this takes conscious effort to maintain for the long term.
Food Intolerance
What if you have not overeaten? What could possibly be the cause of feeling bloated?
Food intolerance is another common cause. Certain food intolerances, such as sensitivity to gluten, acidic foods or spicy foods, can cause the GI tract to overact, leading to bloating as the body tries to break down the food for the body to use.
Keep a food journal detailing the food you eat and accompanying bloatedness helps you to get an idea of the foods that may be causing you to bloat. Notate the type of food that you ate and the amount, as well as the type of discomfort you felt after eating.
Starchy or High-Sodium Diet
Diets high in sodium may cause water retention. Starchy foods can, and often do, increase gaseous bloating. Everyone is different, so the actual food that causes discomfort will vary from person to person.
Beans and bread are high in starch and fill you up for longer, but may also lead to feeling bloated.
To ease the discomfort from this type of bloating, use over-the-counter antacids. Several types of antacids are available at the local drugstore or supermarket. Each works a little differently than the other. Learn more about the options by talking to your doctor. Antacids work by allowing gas build-up to more easily pass through the digestive tract.
Packaged Foods
Packaged foods make our life easy, but they also contain high amounts of sodium and MSG, which makes you feel full after eating even small portions of them.
The obvious solution is to avoid packaged foods and opt for healthier menu selections instead.
Eating Late at Night
Eating a heavy meal before bed will cause you to sleep on a full stomach containing loads of calories. It may cause you to feel like you've gained an excessive amount of weight while you slept.
Your digestive system slows down while you sleep. Some of the positions you sleep in can cause discomfort as you sleep and still leave you feeling bloated the next morning.
Consume heavy meals before 6 p.m. each night to allow food to digest, at least partially, before you make your way to bed.
Drinking Carbonated Beverages
Carbonated beverages like soda causes a person to feel bloated due to the fizz (or carbonation) in them. The fizz can lead to gas being trapped in the stomach. Along with feeling bloated, drinking excess amounts of carbonated beverages can cause you to belch more than usual.
During the evening, avoid consuming carbonated beverages. It might also benefit you to reduce the number of sodas and carbonated beverages you drink at other times as well. Water is the best drink to quench your thirst as it replenishes the body and helps us feel our best. It keeps you hydrated so you can be at your best. If you drink too much soda, peppermint tea can reduce the discomfort you feel. Keep a bit of peppermint tea on hand for this specific purpose!
Swallowing too Much Air
We take in air when we inhale, but we exhale it through several methods under normal circumstances. If we drink from a straw, chew gum, or eat food too quickly, it adds air into our digestive tract rather than the respiratory system, which makes us feel bloated and uncomfortable. Has this happened to you before? It's happened to many people at least once but affects some people regularly.
Eliminate straws if it happens too frequently. You should also stop chewing gum. For many people, these two things ease their symptoms without doctor intervention necessary.
Undiagnosed Medical Conditions
The most concerning reason why you might feel bloated is the possibility of underlying medical conditions. Liver disease, heart disease, and venous insufficiency may lead to excess fluid in the abdomen. If this happens, you may swell in certain areas.
Talk to your doctor to rule out any underlying health conditions that you might not realize exist.
If you cannot get rid of bloating yourself, schedule an appointment today at GI Associates. Your doctor can make sure that an underlying medical condition is not to blame for the problem and provide treatment options that are unavailable from the local drug store or supermarket.
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