WHAT IS YOUR INDIGESTION TRYING TO TELL YOU?
Here are a few symptoms that may help you better understand why your stomach is upset.
WHAT IS YOUR INDIGESTION TRYING TO TELL YOU?
You know that uneasy feeling when your stomach feels queasy and churned? A very normal looking day can turn upside down due to an upset stomach. Despite knowing that feeling, you are unable to do anything about it. While you may not know what your stomach is trying to tell you, here are a few symptoms that may help you better understand why your stomach is upset.
What is indigestion?
Indigestion or dyspepsia is merely a sign of some underlying issue like an ulcer, Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), or other stomach conditions. Depending on the cause of your indigestion, you may require specific treatments.
Symptoms of indigestion
Indigestion is mainly a full, uncomfortable sensation in your tummy during or after a meal. You may also complain of bloating, belching, gaseous distension, nausea, vomiting, acidic taste in the mouth, the fullness of abdomen during or after a meal, retrosternal burning, tummy ache, loud growling and gurgling in your stomach. Your symptoms tend to worsen when you’re stressed. Swallow too much air when you eat? Your belching and bloating get aggravated.
Causes of indigestion
Dyspepsia can be functional or pathological. Based on the following causes, you may consult your physician for appropriate treatment.
1. Drinking
Drinking too much alcohol or caffeine can cause significant dyspepsia. If you are someone who gulps down carbonated or fizzy drinks with every meal, you are the perfect candidate for developing dyspepsia.
2. Eating
Eat your meal too fast? You tend to overeat? You are bound to complain of dyspepsia. Bloating and fullness are going to haunt you through the day. Eating spicy, greasy or fatty foods, acidic foods like tomatoes, oranges, causes severe indigestion.
3. Lifestyle
Too much stress and smoking cigarettes are the perfect combination for developing dyspepsia. Stress has always known to cause a lot of physical issues and dyspepsia has been one of the most common. Along with stress, if you have an erratic schedule of eating and sleeping and a habit of smoking cigarettes, then you are inviting indigestion.
4. Medicines -
Do you pop in antibiotics and pain killers every time you fall sick? Painkillers and antibiotics tend to irritate the stomach lining, causing dyspepsia.
5. Medical conditions
Diseases like GERD, anxiety, depression, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcers, stomach cancers, can all cause indigestion.
How can you prevent your indigestion
The best solution to prevent dyspepsia is to avoid the foods and change your lifestyle that may cause your indigestion. Maintain a food diary to know the different foods that lead to your stomach troubles.
· Eat small meals at short intervals.
· Do not keep long gaps between two meals.
· Eat slowly and chew your food properly.
· Do not talk or drink too much water while eating.
· Avoid caffeine, citrus, acidic foods.
· Quit smoking and cut back on your alcohol consumption.
· Exercise before a meal or at least one hour post meals if you have to, but never on a full stomach.
· Do not lie down immediately after eating.
· Finish your dinner at least 3 hours before going to bed.
· Keep your head elevated while sleeping. Use pillows to prop yourself up. This will keep the digestive juices from coming up and causing the acidity and retrosternal burning.
How to add healthy foods to my diet?
Short meals are easy to make if you have ideas of what needs to be made. Here are some easy and healthy recipes.
Try the above recipes or munch on something healthy to get rid of your indigestion problems.
With a healthy gut and a happy stomach, keep your indigestion at bay.
