Home Digestive systemIndigestion Stomach heaviness: causes and remedies

Stomach heaviness: causes and remedies

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Bloating stomach or indigestion is a relatively common condition that can affect anyone at any time. It consists of a feeling of weight in the stomach, accompanied or not by a feeling of fullness, after eating any type of food. It can also be accompanied by nausea, dizziness, belching, flatulence, abdominal distension (bloating) and / or abdominal cramps, depending on the conditions of each person and the cause that has caused it.

It is important to know the causes of stomach heaviness and what you can take to alleviate it , that is what we will discuss in this FastlyHealarticle.

Stomach heaviness: causes

Various circumstances can cause indigestion, from emotional / affective to physical, including the ingredients used in the preparation of food and the individual reaction of each person to them. Possible causes of stomach heaviness are:

Eat excessively

The most frequent cause. After a copious meal, our stomach suffers from having to digest large amounts of food, causing the symptoms described.

Eat very fast

The process of digestion takes time, it is a slow process. Eating food very quickly and continuing with our activities can cause stomach heaviness.

High fat foods

Fats require more processing time at the stomach level to be digested. The ingestion of abundant volumes of fat can cause heaviness, dyspepsia and its symptoms.

In the following article, you can see which are the foods rich in saturated fat .

Eating excess protein

Although the time requirement is less, proteins also require a long digestion time at the stomach level to be digested. Eating too much can lead to indigestion.

Drink plenty of fluids during meals

Liquids slow down the digestion process by diluting stomach acids. Ingesting large amounts of any of them will slow down the normal speed of the process, causing stomach heaviness.

What to take for a heaviness in the stomach

We will begin with the medical treatment of stomach heaviness , which is initially aimed at alleviating the symptoms. However, it is important to establish whether it is a specific or circumstantial event or if the causes should be studied in depth.

In essence, enzymes that facilitate digestion, Prokinetics, Antiflatulents, Antispasmodics, Antinauseants / Antiemetics and Probiotics will be indicated. The doctor will evaluate each case and establish the drug of preference for each case and the frequency of use, in the case of recurrent episodes. In the latter case, they will consider the need for additional studies in order to delve into the cause or the need for referral to the gastroenterologist for more specialized management.

Contrary to what many people believe, Antacids are not indicated, unless there is accompanying reflux symptoms (sensation of acid in the mouth or burning in the middle of the chest), as these slow down the digestion process even more .

Home remedies to remove a heaviness in the stomach

There are “grandmother’s recipes” and home remedies to relieve a heavy stomach. However, we will refer here only to those that –even without explicit scientific evidence- have shown greater effectiveness:

Baking soda with lemon

Lemon juice with baking soda is the almost universal solution to indigestion. Squeeze a lemon into half a glass of water and add a teaspoon or two of baking soda. Mix well and swallow.

The lemon, due to its acid content, will cause the secretion of bile by the gallbladder, which will mainly contribute to the digestion of fats.

Even though there is no limitation to the times you can take this solution, it is important to remember that bicarbonate has the effect of reducing stomach acidity, so its excessive consumption can be harmful as well.

Ginger

You can eat one or two thin slices of ginger with a little salt or prepare an infusion with the root, slicing it or using its zest.

Ginger will increase the production of digestive juices while increasing enzyme activity at the stomach level, speeding up digestion. As an additional effect, it will help eliminate the gases that cause belching, flatulence and bloating.

Cinnamon

The infusion of cinnamon (in any of its forms) helps digestion and calm the symptoms due to the exaggerated production of gases.

Pineapple

Excellent for the heaviness produced by high-fat meals. You can eat a slice or drink the juice by adding a little water to it (so as not to dilute the stomach juices further).

Pineapple will quickly induce the production of digestive enzymes and has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect that will further help the lining of your battered stomach.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Stomach heaviness: causes and what to take to relieve it , we recommend that you enter our Digestive System category .

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