Severe Bloating

Stomach bloating can be defined as a kind of tightness and discomfort, accompanied by a feeling of fullness or expansion in the stomach. A person experiencing severe bloating, often feels very disturbed and irritated as he is not even able to eat properly due to it. There are a number of conditions and diseases which can cause severe bloating in a person. Below are the most commonly observed bloating causes, followed by some effective remedies to get rid of the same.

Severe Bloating Causes

Air Swallowing
Severe bloating could occur due to swallowing of air by a person, medically known as Aerophagia. This swallowing of air can take place if the person is unable to breathe through the nose due to build up of mucus and resorts to breathing through the mouth. Air swallowing also occurs when a person is talking, eating or smoking. In normal cases, this excess air is passed out of the system, however, if the air gets trapped in the intestines, it can cause severe bloating and gas.

Food Intolerance
Severe bloating after eating, could be due to consumption of specific foods by the person which he is allergic to. For example, if a person who has gluten intolerance, consumes foods which contain gluten such as wheat and rye, it will cause an allergic reaction in him as well as cause severe bloating and gas. Lactose Intolerance, i.e. inability of the body to digest milk or milk based products is another cause behind abdominal bloating.

Functional Dyspepsia
Severe bloating and abdominal pain, especially in the upper part of the abdomen, could be due to a condition known as functional dyspepsia. This condition occurs if the nerves and muscles of the gastrointestinal track do not function adequately. Functional dyspepsia may occur in a woman when she is menstruating. Accumulation of bacteria in the small intestines, Colitis, intake of certain medications, may also cause this condition in some people.

Constipation
Severe bloating can also occur if a person has constipation. In this condition, a person has difficulty in the elimination of the feces, resulting in accumulation of wastes in the body, causing gas and bloating.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome, which causes either very fast bowel movement resulting in diarrhea or very slow bowel movement resulting in constipation, is one of the primary reasons behind occurrence of gas, abdominal cramping and severe bloating. Besides these, some of the other symptoms of abdominal bloeating are - constipation, diarrhea, lower back pain, groin pain, chronic fatigue, light headedness, heartburn and heart palpitations.

Severe Bloating Treatment

In order to treat severe bloating, certain prescription medicines as well as over the counter medicines meant for gas relief should be taken. Alternative treatments, such as taking probiotics, helps in minimizing bloating too. Besides these, certain lifestyle changes and home remedies can prove very effective in getting relief from severe stomach bloating.

• In order to get rid of severe bloating and constipation, include lots of fiber rich foods in the diet.
• If bloating is due to gas, there are certain foods that should be avoided or consumed minimally, such as, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, corn, wheat, potatoes, sorbitol, beans, legumes and fructose.
• Exercising daily even if it means walking for about fifteen minutes, helps in better digestion.
• Increasing fluid intake by drinking lots of water and fruit juices, helps in removing toxins from the body.
• People who have lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance should avoid eating foods which contain these proteins.
• Severe bloating caused due to air swallowing can be minimized by chewing the food properly and taking in smaller quantities of food at one time. In such a case, chewing gums should be completely avoided.
• A person suffering from severe bloating caused due to fluid retention, should soak himself in a tub of lukewarm water for about fifteen minutes.
• An effective home remedy to get rid of severe bloating is drinking fennel tea, twice a day, especially if bloating is due to irritable bowel syndrome.

If bloating that you are experiencing is temporary and it occurs immediately after eating food, overeating could be a possible cause behind it. However, if it is something that you experience all the time or very frequently, it should not be ignored at any cost. Reason being that in some rare cases, it could signal serious health conditions such as tumor in the abdominal cavity, liver disease or ovarian cancer. That's why, if the above mentioned remedies and lifestyle changes are unable to treat severe bloating, it is recommended to consult a medical professional, for proper diagnoses and treatment.