Take a moment to imagine your stomach as a balloon that is overly inflated beyond its limits.
I hope you can visualise the discomfort.
When you have that uncomfortable and/or painful feeling of a full, pressured, tight and sometimes a noticeably bigger belly, you are most likely experiencing bloating. This may be due to water retention or most often gas accumulation.
This feeling normally goes away after a while but for some people, it is a recurring problem that needs medical attention. The most common causes of bloating are indigestion (improper food digestion) and constipation (irregular bowel movements and the inability to poop). If you get this feeling after eating then it is most likely to be a digestive issue or food intolerance.
A typical cause of temporary bloating in women is their menstrual cycle where there are hormonal fluctuations, whilst the most common cause of chronic bloating is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). People with IBS have a hypersensitive digestive tract where they are highly sensitive to slightly altered bowel movements and different or changed eating patterns. These are normally accompanied by painful cramping of the abdomen and even emotional stress can trigger symptoms.
Bloating may be accompanied by painful cramping of the abdomen
Other causes of bloating include:
• Inflammation of the stomach, which is usually caused by bacterial infection of the intestines (often caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria) or indulging in excessive drinking. It is important to note that Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome is different from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as both qualify to be called IBS.
• Bacterial overgrowth, quite different from gut inflammation caused by bacterial infection. Every normal person has a certain amount of some bacteria inhabiting their stomach and/or intestines. These are called normal flora. Some conditions may cause an overgrowth of these normal flora which may either result in gas accumulation or inflammation of the bowels, ultimately resulting in bloating.
• Ascites, where there is a fluid build-up in the body, especially the abdominal cavity owing to conditions like liver disease and kidney failure.
• Cancer, in extreme cases. Stomach, pancreatic, intestinal and even uterine cancers are some examples of cancers that cause bloating.
Relieve your bloating by:
• Emptying your bowels frequently, at least on a daily basis
• Drinking herbal tea which helps with digestion, relief of gas and water retention
• Exercising regularly, focusing on strengthening your core to fight bloating.
• Taking magnesium supplements and antacids(prescribed by your healthcare giver) to neutralize the excess production of gastric acid to relieve indigestion.
Exercising regularly, focusing on strengthening your core helps to combat bloating
Prevent bloating by:
• Eating enough fibre to help with gradual and thorough digestion so not to overwhelm the digestive system.
• Paying attention to your food reactions. This will help you determine what foods cause you to bloat, as well as when to or if not to, and how to consume them.
• Taking your time to eat as it takes quite some time for food to reach the stomach.
• Avoid overeating as this may overwhelm your digestive system.
• Drinking enough water to enable smooth digestion of solid and compact foods.
• Avoiding processed foods as much as possible as they have the tendencies to cause water retention.
• Exercising regularly to get the bowels moving as well as to prevent water retention and weight gain.
See your healthcare provider if your bloating persists for more than a week, gets worse or consistently gets painful.
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