What to do about bloating? How to relieve bloating? Sometimes relieving bloating only requires changing a few small habits. Below, we'll look at the causes of bloating and ten simple methods to relieve it. Causes of Bloating Cardiovascular Diseases: Cardiovascular diseases are seen in acute and chronic congestive heart failure (especially right heart failure), mesenteric vascular embolism, or thrombosis.
Intestinal Diseases: Intestinal disorders are also major contributors to bloating. Common causes include acute or chronic intestinal infections (such as bacterial dysentery, amoebic colitis, intestinal tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), malabsorption syndrome, acute or chronic intestinal obstruction, pseudo-obstruction, diverticular disease, and constipation from various causes.
Functional gastrointestinal disorders: Examples include aerophagia, persistent hiccups, and functional dyspepsia (non-ulcer dyspepsia).
Liver diseases: Liver disorders are also significant causes of abdominal distension, commonly seen in acute and chronic hepatitis (especially severe hepatitis, where distension is a primary and persistent symptom), cirrhosis (often the main early symptom), liver abscesses, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Biliary tract diseases: Such as acute and chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, and biliary obstruction caused by various factors.
Pancreatic diseases: Such as acute and chronic pancreatitis, giant pancreatic cysts, pancreatic cancer, etc.
Acute Infectious Diseases: Such as shock pneumonia, typhoid fever, severe pulmonary tuberculosis, and sepsis.
Ten Simple Methods to Relieve Bloating
1. Practice a few simple exercises
Easy movements can effectively alleviate bloating. Lie supine on the bed with hands placed on the chest and abdomen respectively; then breathe slowly for 1–3 minutes.Next, bend your knees and hug them toward your abdomen, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10–30 times to promote gastric emptying. Alternatively, before bedtime, press one hand on your navel and massage in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction 40–100 times each.
2. Avoid wolfing down food
This habit introduces gas into the intestines, causing bloating. Minimize consumption of carbonated drinks and beer. Desserts containing fructose or sorbitol are also gas-producing foods.
3. Rest briefly before meals<
Relieve fatigue before eating to significantly reduce stomach bloating during meals.
4. Wash your face before meals
Use the 15 minutes before eating to wash your face and gently massage your face and neck area (moving upward). This helps you relax gradually.
5. Focus on eating; avoid chatting or laughing
Try not to talk or laugh heartily while eating to prevent swallowing air.
6. Manage negative emotions
Feelings like anxiety, worry, sadness, frustration, or depression can weaken digestion or stimulate excessive stomach acid production. This leads to increased gas and worsened bloating.
7. Limit gas-producing foods at dinner
First and foremost, avoid various legumes. The oligosaccharides in beans ferment in the gut, breaking down to produce gases that cause symptoms like belching, intestinal rumbling, bloating, and abdominal pain. Therefore, older adults should minimize bean products at dinner.
8. Avoid excessive high-fiber foods
Overconsumption of high-fiber foods can generate significant gas in the gastrointestinal tract. Examples include wheat bran (31% fiber content), dried bamboo shoots (30%), chili peppers (over 40%), and other high-fiber vegetables like ferns, cauliflower, spinach, and pumpkin. Whole grains such as buckwheat noodles and corn also fall into this category.When consuming these foods, pay attention to portion control and avoid excessive intake.
9. Increase intake of stomach-protective and gas-relieving foods
Certain foods nourish the stomach and promote gas relief. For instance, Chinese yam strengthens the spleen and stomach, benefits kidney qi, aids digestion and absorption, and its viscous texture protects the stomach lining. Daikon radish relieves gas but should be eaten cooked, such as in stewed soups. Additionally, hawthorn, onions, and garlic are beneficial for the gastrointestinal tract.
10. Perform simple stretches before bed
Simple stretches before sleep can help release accumulated gas in the stomach. Method: Lie flat on your back with arms and legs extended. Inhale while bending your right knee, feeling the right leg press against your abdomen. Exhale while lowering the right leg. Repeat with the left leg.