People do numerous things just to unbloat their stomachs, some of which are weird, such as tying their stomachs with a cloth.

But hey, we can’t blame them, we’ve all fallen victim to how uncomfortable bloating can be. It’s even worse when you’re battling to put off weight, because then you don’t know if you’re just bloated, or increasing in weight.

However, this article will help you understand:

• What bloating is
• Causes of bloating
• 7 fast ways to unbloat your stomach

What Is Bloating?

Bloating is a familiar feeling. It is that feeling of tightness and hardness around your stomach when you feel your stomach is swollen, heavy, and sometimes even grumbling.

You may mistake your bloated stomach for belly fat, however, unlike bloating, belly fat will not feel hard, because fat isn’t hard, so when you touch your stomach and it feels hard, you just might be bloated and need to unbloat.

How Can You Tell When Your Stomach Is Bloated?

You’ll know you’re bloated if your tummy is:

• Bigger or distended (and you’re not pregnant)
• Rumbling
• Slightly in pain 
• Hard and tight

Sometimes you can tell you’re bloated when you feel all or some of these symptoms, and you’re belching or farting constantly. 

What Causes Stomach Bloating?

I know you’re excited to get to know how you can unbloat, hold your horses a bit because understanding what causes your stomach to be bloated in the first place will help you know which of the 7 ways to unbloat your stomach listed in this article will be effective or best suited for you.

Any of these factors can be the reason you feel bloated:

• Gas

One of the common causes of stomach bloating is gas. You’re very likely to feel bloated after consuming foods or drinks that are gaseous such as coco-cola drinks. Gas bloating could also be a result of swallowing a lot of air while eating.

Any of these ways can incorporate gas in your gut thereby, affecting how your stomach feels.

• GIT Problems such as constipation, food intolerance, coeliac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

GIT problems such as those mentioned above are most often due to a restriction in your digestive tract or an impairment that causes food build-up along your digestive tract so you have less room for digestion to take place, therefore making your digestive system feel congested, which results in the tightness you feel when you become bloated.

• Hormones

This is especially common in women. Research has it that 3 in 4 women report feeling bloated during their ovulation and period.

Reason is that during these periods, your hormones are fluctuating, and their actions differ. For instance, estrogen – one of the menstrual hormones, causes fluid retention, and having so much fluid in your body can make you feel bloated.

You may not know it because you haven’t been attentive to the changes that take place in your body during these periods, but try watching out for the next time you’re ovulating and menstruating, you may just be among the ¾ population who feel bloated in these times.

• Fluid retention

Just as we’ve seen with estrogen, when your body retains fluid, either due to hormonal changes or your increased intake of salty foods, you’ll feel bloated.

7 Fast Ways to Unbloat Your Stomach 

Finally, let’s get to it!

Here are 7 fast ways to unbloat your stomach:

1. Check your diet

If you notice that you get bloated every time you eat a specific type of food, then you probably have an intolerance for such foods, so your digestive system finds it difficult to digest them, in that case, you need to stop eating such food. In most cases, these foods include whole grains, milk, beans, foods with artificial sweeteners, and carbonated drinks.

2. Take a walk

Taking a walk whenever you’re bloated, especially after a meal is an effective way to unbloat because this will keep your metabolism up and digestion faster. It’s also a good way to expel gas that has accumulated in your gut, and stomach, giving more room for your digestive system to be flexible.

3. Drink plenty of water

This may be uncomfortable to do, since feeling bloated sort of means feeling full. However, drinking plenty of water can help you unbloat, because the more water you drink, the more water you excrete, hence balancing your body water content, especially if you’re bloated due to fluid retention.

4. Use OTC medication

It’s such a relief to know that you could take certain OTC medicines to reduce your stomach bloating. OTC medicines such as Simeticone, alverine, and mebeverine have been proven to help reduce bloating by breaking up gas bubbles that accumulate in your stomach and causing it to be distended.

5. Try some natural ingredients

You may not like the idea of popping pills just to unbloat, well, there are several natural remedies you could try, that involve either eating anti-bloating foods or drinking teas.

Eat pineapple, banana, watermelon, or cucumber to unbloat, or drink ginger, dandelion, or turmeric tea. These have inflammatory and anti-bloating properties that can help reduce the amount of fluid and gas in your body.

6. Try abdominal massages

As easy as it may sound, abdominal massages are effective in reducing bloating, and the best part is you can do it yourself.

Simply lie on your back, apply some massage oil, and use your hands to move in a circular motion, from your belly button till you’ve massaged every part of your abdomen.

Additionally, abdominal massages help your intestines to relax and expel gas from your stomach.

7. Get some exercise

Light exercises such as swimming, jogging, stretching, and even a few yoga poses can help reduce stomach bloating, as these exercises help boost your metabolism and fasten the digestion process.

Takeaway 

Everyone experiences bloating for one or several reasons mentioned in this article, and no matter what reason might be, we all agree bloating is an uncomfortable feeling.

Fortunately, now you have at your fingertips 7 fast ways to unbloat and feel comfortable. Don’t be shy to explore your options when next you get bloated.

Sources

Bloating: Causes, Tips to Debloat, and More. www.healthline.com

Bloating – NHS www.nhs.uk 

How To Get Rid of Bloating: 9 Strategies Backed By Science www.dietvsdisease.org 

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