What is flatulence? And what are its causes? What are the causes of flatulence in the morning? How can flatulence be prevented? Are there home remedies that relieve flatulence? The answers are in this report.
flatulence
Bloating – also known as flatulence and stomach bloating – is a condition in which the abdomen feels full and narrow, often due to gas, according to For “Johns Hopkins University”” (Johns Hopkins University).
According to For “Cleveland Clinic”(Cleveland Clinic), “Bloated Stomach” is a feeling of tightness, pressure, or fullness in the abdomen, and it may or may not be accompanied by a distinctly swollen abdomen.
The feeling can range from feeling somewhat uncomfortable to feeling very painful. It usually goes away following a while, but for some people, this problem is recurring, and digestive issues and hormonal fluctuations can cause periodic bloating. If flatulence does not go away, you should seek medical attention to determine the cause.
Causes of flatulence
The most common cause of stomach pain and bloating is increased intestinal gas. If you develop flatulence following eating, the cause may be a digestive problem. It may be as simple as eating too much food too quickly, or you may have a food allergy or other condition that causes gas and digestive contents to build up. The menstrual cycle in women is another common cause of temporary bloating. Sometimes, a swollen stomach can indicate a more serious medical condition.
Causes of flatulence and enlargement of the abdomen
First, the gases
Gas is a natural byproduct of digestion, but producing too much intestinal gas leads to bloating. While you can swallow gas by swallowing air or drinking soda, these gases are mostly escaped through burps before they reach your intestines. Gas is produced in your gut mostly by gut bacteria that digest carbohydrates, in a process called fermentation.
If there is a lot of fermentation in the stomach, it is because many carbohydrates are not naturally absorbed early in the digestion process, before reaching the gut bacteria.
This might have a number of reasons, such as eating too quickly, having a certain type of food intolerance or a gastrointestinal disease. Some of the possible causes include:
1- Carbohydrate malabsorption
Many people have trouble digesting certain carbohydrates (sugars). Some common triggers include lactose and fructose, the carbohydrates in wheat and beans. You may have an intolerance, or you may just experience general difficulties that make your body suffer more from carbohydrates.
A dietitian or gastroenterologist can help you identify substances that cause you a food allergy.
2- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth SIBO
This happens when gut bacteria flow from the colon into the small intestine. The overgrowth of these bacteria can also overwhelm other bacteria that they aim to balance. Some bacteria absorb the gases produced by others, but the balance may be disturbed, if some are too much and the other too little.
3- “Functional digestive disorders”
Irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia are diagnosed when your body struggles with digestion for unexplained reasons. Symptoms often include gas and bloating following eating. Pay attention to classic warning symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, nausea, vomiting, fever, bleeding, anemia, and unintended weight loss.
4- “Visceral hypersensitivity”
Some people feel gas and bloating even when their gas volume is normal. This condition is often associated with irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders that involve nerve pathways from the gut to the brain. Some people develop an overactive muscle reaction to making more room for gas in the abdominal cavity (abdominophrenic dyssynergia). The abdominal muscles relax and pop out in the presence of gas, even when the actual size is normal.
Second: the contents of the digestive system
These contents can be solid, liquid or gaseous. Digestive contents can build up in the GI tract when there is a restriction in the GI tract or when the muscles that move the GI contents are damaged in some way. Any buildup of digestive contents along the digestive tract will leave less room for normal amounts of gas and leave less room for other things in the abdomen, including circulatory fluids and fat. Causes of accumulation can include:
1- constipation
You may have occasional constipation due to diet or lifestyle factors, or you may have chronic constipation due to an underlying condition.
2- Bowel obstruction
Both your large and small intestines can become blocked by tumors, scar tissue, or strictures. Inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and diverticulosis, can damage parts of your small intestine, creating a restriction that narrows the passage of digestive contents.
3- Recently gained weight
The weight that is gained tends to go to your belly first. If you gain 10 pounds or more, this will likely affect your belly size. This means less space for normal digestion, and even a regular meal can cause you to feel abnormally bloated during digestion. Weight gain sometimes also includes water retention, which can make you feel bloated due to fluid in your stomach and elsewhere.
Third: hormones
You may have noticed that your stomach bloating follows your period. If so, you are not alone. Up to 3 in 4 women say they experience flatulence before and during their menstrual periods. Bloating is also a common complaint during hormonal fluctuations in perimenopause.
First, estrogen causes water retention. When estrogen goes down and progesterone goes down, you’ll notice puffiness of fluid. This is in addition to the increase in the size of the uterus just before menstruation, which may cause you to bloat in the stomach.
Second, hormones also interact with your digestive system. Both estrogen and progesterone can cause gas by either slowing down or speeding up your movement. Estrogen receptors in the digestive system also affect visceral sensitivity, making you feel bloated.
Other causes of flatulence
Bloating that comes and goes is usually digestive, hormonal, or both. These reasons can also make you feel generally ill and tired. As long as the symptoms eventually go away, they probably aren’t serious. But if your swollen stomach symptoms don’t go away or get worse, or if you have other symptoms of a serious illness, such as fever or vomiting, you should seek medical attention to rule out other medical causes. These reasons may include:
dropsy
This is a gradual accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. It is usually caused by liver disease, and sometimes by kidney failure or heart failure.
pancreatic insufficiency
This is a type of pancreatic dysfunction in which the pancreas can no longer produce enough digestive enzymes to serve its function of digestion.
gastritis or enteritis
This is usually caused by a bacterial infection, usually “H. pylori infection” and can also be associated with peptic ulcers.
cancer
Such as cancer of the ovary, uterus, colon, pancreas, stomach or “mesenteric”. Annual checkups with your primary care physician are important for detecting cancer.
flatulence duration
If the bloating is caused by something you ate or drank or is due to hormonal fluctuations, it should start to subside within a few hours to days. If you’re constipated, the bloating won’t go down until you start to have a bowel movement. Water, exercise, and herbal teas can help with all of that. If symptoms do not go away or worsen, seek medical attention.
Home remedies to relieve flatulence
The treatment that relieves you in the long term depends on the cause. You may need a professional diagnosis to get to the bottom of the matter. But if you are looking for home remedies to empty your stomach today or avoid bloating tomorrow, there are a few things you can try.
herbal tea
Like mint, chamomile, ginger, turmeric, and fennel, they can aid in digestion and treat gas.
antacids
Antacids relieve inflammation in the digestive tract and help pass gas more easily. Antacids often include the active ingredient simethicone, which works to pass gas by bringing together smaller gas bubbles.
Probiotics
Probiotics may help supplement or rebalance your gut bacteria. Some probiotics will help you digest your food better in the first place, and others may actually help absorb excess gas. You may have to take it continuously for a few days or weeks to really notice the difference.
Sports
Regular exercise with a focus on core strengthening can help combat flatulence.
How can I prevent flatulence?
If stomach bloating is caused by diet, you can help prevent it by making some lifestyle changes. Some good general guidelines include:
- Eat enough fiber
- Drink enough water
- exercise
- Avoid processed foods, as they are low in fiber and high in salt and fat. Salt causes water retention, and fats slow down digestion because it takes longer to digest. All of these things can lead to constipation and bloating.
- Practice mindful eating, take your time to chew well and stop before you get full. Feeling full is a delayed reaction because it takes some time for the food you actually eat to reach your stomach. Most people eat enough to be full before they actually feel like they are.
Causes of sudden flatulence
- Drink carbonated water.
- Using a straw to drink. A person swallows more air when they drink through a straw, and this air will flow directly into your stomach.
- Eat cabbage and broccoli.
- Eat French fries. Fatty, high-fat foods, such as French fries, can cause bloating by taking longer to digest.
- Chewing gum, as it can cause you to swallow more air completely, like drinking from a straw.
- Eat beans.
- Eating too quickly.
Causes of flatulence when waking up
Occasional stomach bloating in the morning may be a result of lifestyle choices the day or night before, as it may lead to constipation, gas, or even swelling and fluid retention, according to a report in “Healthline” (healthline).
Some possible reasons why you might wake up with flatulence include:
- Eat a large meal, especially right before bed.
- Swallowing air from eating too quickly.
- Lie down shortly following eating.
- Drink soda or other soft drinks.
- Eat a lot of fiber, or take a fiber supplement unnecessarily.
- Eat large amounts of gas-causing foods, such as broccoli, cabbage, and beans.
- Eat a lot of salt or foods rich in sodium.
- sugar consumption.
- Artificial sweeteners, such as sorbitol.
- Not drinking enough water.
- Menstruation.
Reduce flatulence in the morning
If your doctor has ruled out an underlying medical problem as the cause of your bloating, you may be able to help reduce occasional morning bloating with diet and lifestyle changes. Ideally, these changes should be implemented the day or night before so that you do not wake up feeling bloated.
Eating a lot of beans, vegetables, and legumes can make you bloated in the morning, especially if you’ve eaten these foods the night before. Eating small meals throughout the day and avoiding eating before bed can also help reduce stomach bloating. Reducing sodium has also been shown to reduce stomach bloating.
Source : Al Jazeera + Websites + Health line
