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What are the Common Reasons of Bloating?

Bloating, which can cause distention of your abdomen, along with discomfort, gas, and even pain can be frustrating to deal with. Whether it's acute or chronic, the first question is to wonder why this is happening. Here are some common reasons behind why you might be bloated, along with some tips for dealing with them.

The Most Common Cause - Constipation

While there are many different reasons you could be dealing with regular bloating. constipation tends to be the most common cause. When you eat, your belly is going to fill up, and it will distend slightly. This is very common, and will eventually settle when you go to sleep, or have a bowel movement. However, if you are constipated and are not going to the bathroom regularly, your belly can have a bloated appearance until you do relieve your bowels.

If you are struggling with chronic constipation, it might be from a medical condition. If this becomes a regular problem, see your doctor to rule out any medical causes.

Other Potential Causes

In addition to constipation, you might also be bloated because of swallowing too much air, struggling with gut issues like gastritis or IBS, consuming carbonated beverages, or just eating a large meal. Some people find that they are more bloated on days when they drink a lot of carbonated water and soft drinks, while others are bloated from certain foods that tend to cause inflammation in the gut.

There are also some medical conditions that increase your risk for bloating, including:

IBS
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Gastritis or diverticulitis
Infections
Crohn's disease
Inflammation

Figuring Out What is Causing Your Bloat

The hardest part about this is figuring out what is actually causing you to be bloated. There are a few things to look at first. The first step is typically to see your doctor since they can often rule out medical causes for your bloating. Next, if you think it might be from a sensitivity to certain foods, removing those foods or trying an elimination diet can help a lot.

Also, look at your lifestyle and what foods you eat, as if you are eating a lot of inflammatory foods, have constipation, or drink nothing but carbonated beverages, that is likely the culprit.

Tips for Relieving Bloat

Sick and tired of being bloated all the time? Here are a few things that can help.

Drink more plain water - Drink more water to relieve bloat, and make sure it is plain waiter without carbonation.
Get regular exercise - Walking is one of the best exercises to help relieve bloating, but there are also some yoga poses that can be great for this.
Try peppermint tea - Peppermint does wonders for bloating and the gut in general. Try drinking 1-2 cups of peppermint tea each day and see if it helps.
Address your medical conditions Of course, if you think your bloating is from medical conditions like inflammation or IBS, you need to address those before your bloating will go down.
Start a Whole food plant based diet- Eliminating animal products will help you eliminate the inflammation of your gut and the high amount of fiber will make the deposition more frequent.