Bloating and nausea – causes, treatment and prevention

A feeling of fullness and nausea often occur together in gastrointestinal disorders. Most of the time it is a matter of harmless indigestion, which may have been triggered by overeating. However, both symptoms are warning signals from the body that the digestive system is overloaded for some reason and that further food intake should be prevented. Rarely are actually more serious diseases of the digestive tract behind it.

The feeling of fullness is an expression of an increased accumulation of gas in the stomach or intestines . Especially when the chyme moves very slowly and stays in the stomach for a long time, gases accumulate there, causing an unpleasant feeling of fullness. It is often accompanied by nausea. With nausea, the body signals that something is wrong with the digestion. If too much or incompatible food is consumed, the vomiting center in the brain is activated, resulting in a feeling of nausea. The nausea is intended to prevent further food intake and, if necessary , to remove incompatible foods from the body again by vomiting .

causes

There are many causes of bloating and nausea. Most of the time it’s harmless reasons. As already mentioned, after a large meal, the body reacts with a feeling of fullness and possibly nausea, thus signaling that no more food should be eaten. The stomach is overfilled and takes a certain amount of time to soak the chyme with digestive juices. The chyme is then released in batches through the pylorus into the duodenum. The longer this process lasts, the greater the feeling of fullness because more and more gas is forming in the stomach.The gas either escapes up the esophagus in the form of regurgitation, or it is carried further into the intestines. In the case of very severe flatulence , the feeling of fullness is accompanied by pain and nausea. If necessary, the stomach rids itself of its contents by vomiting if it is no longer able to process them sufficiently. Another cause of a feeling of fullness is eating quickly without chewing. This can lead to so-called aerophagia (air swallowing). Even so, the stomach may be unnecessarily filled with gas.

However, the causes of bloating and nausea are not always so harmless. If the symptoms occur frequently or are even chronic, a doctor should be consulted to clarify the cause. It could be a food intolerance. Some people have an intolerance to certain dietary proteins such as gluten or specific carbohydrates such as lactose. Whenever these substances get into the gastrointestinal tract, there are inflammatory reactions that disrupt the entire digestive process.

The result is gas formation, flatulence, a feeling of fullness and nausea. It is not uncommon for those affected to also suffer from the so-called irritable stomach or irritable bowel. These are functional disorders that are caused by a malfunction of the nervous system. Malfunctions within the digestive system occur particularly under stress , which in turn can cause increased gas formation and thus a feeling of fullness and nausea. Years of stress and poor nutrition can also lead to chronic inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach or intestines. The consequences are gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers and chronic intestinal inflammation. Severe autoimmune reactions against the intestines can cause Krohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Diseases

• food intolerances

• Crohn’s disease

• Ulcerative colitis

• celiac disease

• irritable bowel syndrome

• Gastritis

• autoimmune diseases

diagnosis and course

Since bloating and nausea are symptoms that are very common, no further investigation is usually necessary. If the symptoms appear after a very heavy and fatty meal, all you have to do is wait until the digestion process is complete. However, it is also possible that the symptoms appear even with normal food intake. It should be observed which foods are responsible for this, because it could be a food intolerance.

There are intolerances to the gluten protein in bread or the lactose in milk. However, other food intolerances can also occur. If a food intolerance is suspected, the doctor will carry out appropriate tests. Furthermore, in the case of chronic digestive problems, it should also be clarified whether they may only occur under stressful conditions. Then it could be a functional gastrointestinal disorder. In the case of very stubborn symptoms, the stomach and intestines must be examined for chronic inflammation and possible tumors.

treatment and therapy

As a rule, the feeling of fullness and nausea disappear when the digestion process is complete. Digestion can be aided by exercise in the form of a digestive walk. The muscles of the stomach and intestines are stimulated. Comfortable clothing should be worn to make the unpleasant feeling of fullness more bearable. Since flatulence is caused by small gas bubbles, synthetic defoamers such as simethicone or dimeticone often help to dissolve them.

Teas with peppermint , caraway , fennel , anise , chamomile or yarrow can also have a positive effect on the digestive process. If you are diagnosed with intolerance to certain foods, it is important to strictly avoid them. Patients with an irritable bowel or irritable stomach may benefit from a psychotherapeutic treatment of their problems.

prevention

As a rule, a feeling of fullness and nausea can be prevented very well. A prerequisite for this is to pay attention to a healthy and balanced diet . Good digestion is also aided by plenty of exercise. Since smoking and the consumption of alcohol can lead to chronic digestive problems in the long term, they should also be avoided. Dealing with stress and anger is also important. It is also important not to rush your meals, but to take it easy. In this way, frequent swallowing of air can be avoided. Finally, it is also important to avoid incompatible foods.