Stomach bloating is when the belly feels swollen after eating and is usually caused by excess gas production or disturbances in the movement of the muscles of the digestive system. Stomach bloating can often cause an uncomfortable pain and can also make the stomach appear bigger than it is. Bloating is not similar to water retention, but the two terms are often used interchangeably. Bloating, put simply, involves excessive amounts of solid, liquids or gas in the digestive system. Thankfully, there is a simple change one can implement in their diet to help alleviate the condition.
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Everybody knows the feeling; you ate a little more than you intended to and now you are paying the price.
The stomach swells up and you are left with stomach pain that makes you feel extremely uncomfortable.
Health experts state that around 16-30 percent of people report having regular bloating and is extremely common.
Although bloating is sometimes caused by serious medical conditions, it is most often caused by the diet and some foods or ingredients a person may be intolerant to.
The solution to the pain in the stomach and to reduce the bloat is simple, sleep.
When a person digests food, the food becomes reduced to its molecular form and this also results in the release of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide gas that needs to be expelled from the body somehow.
Overnight sleep helps to provide a reset when it comes to food-related bloating.
Health experts recommend getting around eight or more hours of sleep and having nothing going into the tract which may allow for the intra-bowel contents to be whittled down a bit and for bloating to subside.
There are particular sleep hygiene habits and sleep positions one can adopt to help aid in better digestion and gas release.
Pre-sleep habits can include avoiding eating two hours before going to bed and avoiding spicy or fatty foods as these are more difficult for the body to digest.
There are also certain sleep positions one can try to also help alleviate pain and bloating.
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Head elevation position is when you use pillow to lift the head about six to nine inches.
This helps by relieving heartburn and promotes digestion by preventing stomach acid from flowing back up to the oesophagus.
Face down position also helps with alleviating pain and bloating.
By lying face down this position helps aid in easy digestion during the nights, according to the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service.
What a person eats and drinks in the evening will greatly affect the stomach.
It’s advised to try to cut out or at least limit the following foods, especially one to two hours before sleep.
High-fat foods as these move more slowly through the digestive system.
Gas producing foods including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and baked beans.
Coffee and fizzy drinks, citrus fruits, tomatoes and spicy food, chewing gum or hard candy, drugs which may irritate the stomach including aspirin and ant-inflammatory drugs and alcohol or smoking as both of these can irritate the lining of the stomach.
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