Stomach Pain After Eating

You often feel tired after eating a spicy dinner. Sometimes you end up eating higher quantity of food than you can digest. Overeating makes you feel sleepy, tired and you prefer to be seated in one place or go to bed immediately. This bad habit usually causes stomach pain. Overeating, an unhealthy diet and sleeping right after eating, disturbs the digestion process which leads to various stomach problems. Digestive health is very important because problems in the digestive system lead to various diseases. Stomach pain and other problems experienced after eating can be the symptom of a disease. To understand the same, read on the details of various causes of stomachache after eating mentioned below.

Causes of Stomachache After Eating

Food intolerance is the most probable cause of stomach pain after intake of certain food items. This can happen if you are allergic to certain food items. Maintaining a food diary is the best way to identify the foods causing such symptoms. Write the details of food items you eat throughout the day in this diary. After a few days, you will be able to recognize whether a certain food item or type of food is leading to this health problem. Like stomach pain and bloating after intake of dairy products is commonly caused due to lactose intolerance. Food poisoning is another possible cause of stomach pain after eating. In this case you will experience sharp abdominal pain soon after eating.

Intense lower right side abdominal pain after eating can be caused due to appendicitis. This might also be followed by nausea, vomiting or mild fever. Visit a doctor if you experience these symptoms along with stomachache after eating. Upper right abdominal pain after eating is a symptom of gallstones. Pain in this area caused due to gallstones, often spreads to the right upper back, right shoulder or chest as well.

Severe upper abdominal pain experienced instantly after eating a heavy meal or pain experienced six to twelve hours after a heavy meal can be caused due to pancreatitis. This pain often starts in the upper abdomen and spreads to the sides and back. It might be followed by nausea, racing heartbeat or fever. Moderate stomach cramps after eating, followed by vomiting that smells like stools is a symptom of intestinal obstruction. Other symptoms of intestinal obstruction include watery stools or no stools at all. Severe stomach cramps accompanied by tenderness in the lower left side of the abdomen are symptoms of diverticulitis.

Heartburn is another common cause of stomachache. Stomachache with bloating after eating accompanied by less than three bowel movements in a week and hard stools are symptoms of constipation. Constipation is caused due to insufficient amount of fiber in the diet. Less intake of water throughout the day further contributes to this health problem. Feeling tired after eating, along with stomach bloating and pain in the lower abdomen is a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome.

Stomach pain can be caused if you consume any type of liquid in abundance right after eating food. Drinking water, fresh fruit juices, soft drinks or any other drinks immediately after eating, dilutes the stomach acids. Proper concentration of stomach acid helps kill unhealthy bacteria and fungi in food and keeps your digestive system healthy. As the stomach acid is diluted, the food is not broken down and hence, it is not digested easily. Also, the harmful bacteria survive and then your body tries to eject the consumed food, leading to upset stomach. This might also lead to diarrhea after eating. Infection due to bacteria or viruses can lead to stomach pain after having food. When bacteria or viruses enter your body, the body reacts and tries to get rid of the infection through diarrhea or vomiting. Nausea after eating is very common in this case. Stomachache along with nausea is also a symptom of gastritis.

Overeating or consuming food too fast, often results into stomachache, so try to curb overeating. Also, if you keep your stomach empty for a long time and then eat large quantity of food at a time, it might cause stomach pain. To avoid this, meal planning is important. Follow the timings and stick to a healthy diet plan. Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day, but avoid drinking water for an hour after having your meals. Avoid eating junk food. Walking is the best thing to do after a meal to ensure proper digestion of food.

Remember that stomach pain can be a symptom of severe problems like perforated stomach ulcer, heart attack and many other minor or major problems as mentioned above. You can try home remedies for stomachache in case of minor pain. Eating asafetida will help relieve stomachache immediately. Roast it over a low flame and mix with yogurt. You can also eat fennel seeds to relieve stomach pain. Add a spoon of fennel seeds to boiling water. Drink a glass of this water when it is lukewarm. If the pain doesn't subside, do visit a doctor. Make sure that you consult a doctor if the problem is experienced repeatedly. Remember that stomach pain after intake of food must not be ignored. If you develop such problems, do get yourself examined by a reputed doctor.