Top 10 Ways To Help Ease Gas & Bloating Fast

The uneasiness begins. You fidget in your chair. Unable to focus, you start to feel sharp pains that start in your lower abdomen and quickly work their way up your stomach and throat. You gulp hard, unable to concentrate at work. 

The pressure builds, slowly but surely. And you know where this is heading. You need to use the bathroom. But as soon as you get there, you sit idle. Bloated. Constipated. You succumb to the irregularity of your stool and continue to endure the pain at home. 

When you're out with friends, you question whether your food or drink choices will lead to more pressure and pain. You know the feeling, right? It happens often. And you dread the irregularity of its onset. One moment, you're feeling fine. The next, you're bellowing over in pain, unable to find relief. 

The truth is that you're not alone. Millions struggle with this very common problem. Feeling gaseous and bloated is frustrating at best. But there are ways to fix it. And fast.

While there are no magic bullets, the truth should be apparent. Adjusting factors like diet, exercise and environmental variables are the surest ways to solve these problems quickly.

But where do you begin? 

How to Ease Gas & Bloating Fast

Millions of Americans struggle with gas and bloating. Countless more battle with constipation on a daily basis. And according to AboutIBS, between 25 to 45 million people experience Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and 2 out of 3 of those individuals are females. 

Those are some staggering statistics. Based on the US population of roughly 330 million people that equates to roughly 8 to 13% of the population. Additionally, gut problems lead to other diseases. Since the gut controls 70% of the immune system, it's no wonder why the consequences amplify. 

The gut is very much a brain in itself. It contains over 500 million neurons, making it a vibrant epicenter in the human body. Meaning, how you treat your gut has a massive impact on the illnesses and diseases your body is able to fight or succumb to.  

    1. Avoid Soda

    Soda contains excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, which can get trapped in your stomach and GI tract. They also contain artificial sweeteners and ingredients that lead to gas, bloating and other long-term health defects. 

    Instead, switch to water. Water helps to filter and cleanse the GI, helping to fight off illness and disease. It also helps reduce constipation. You should be consuming at least one ounce of water for each pound you weigh, per day. 

    2. Increase Fiber Intake

    Dietary fibers are carbohydrates that the body can't readily digest. Unlike other carbohydrates that the body can break down into sugar molecules, dietary fiber is an exception. Since the body can't break it down, it travels through the GI undigested. 

    In addition, it helps to keep the body's use of sugar in check. In turn, it helps regulate blood sugar and even hunger. So how much fiber should you consume per day? At least 20 to 30 grams. If not through diet alone, consider taking a fiber supplement like this one

     

    3. Try Yoga Poses

    Certain yoga poses help release flatulence and ease gas and bloating issues. Yoga positions the abdomen in a way that helps stimulate the release of flatulence and thereby reducing gas and bloating in the digestive system. 

    Yoga poses like Happy Baby Pose, Bridge Pose, Wind-Relieving Pose, Child's Pose and others help quickly relieve the build-up of gas. Hot Yoga can also help with certain digestive issues by further calming the body into a relaxed state.

    Heat also helps to expand the blood vessels and arteries, increasing the flow of oxygen and blood, thereby jumpstarting the digestive system. 

    4. Warm Baths & Heating Pads 

    Heat is a great way to stimulate the digestive system and reduce stress levels, which attribute to gas and bloating. By using warm baths with Epsom salts and heating pads on your stomach, you can quickly reduce gas and bloating fast. 

    Simply place two cups of Epsom salt into a hot bath and allow it to soak for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the water will be saturated with the salts and the temperature reduced to an ideal temperate for a bath. 

    To enhance the effects, you can use an exfoliating brush on the body. Afterward you can place a heating pad on the stomach to further stimulate the digestive system. 

    5. Drink Herbal Teas

    There are many herbal teas that can help with gas and bloating. Some can relieve constipation as well. The trick is to pick the right herbs. For example, peppermint is traditionally known to ease digestive issues. Peppermint herbal tea can help ease some of the gas and bloating you're experiencing. 

    Lemon balm is another herbal tea that can assist with gas, bloating and constipation. According to this study, it's one of the key ingredients in a liquid supplement called Iberogast, which is known to alleviate stomach and abdominal pain as well to help with overall GI health and digestive relief. 

    Other herbal teas that can help include ginger, wormwood, fennel, gentian root, chamomile and angelica root, amongst others. 

    6. Take Probiotics

     The human gut is an extraordinary marvel. It contains trillions of bacteria that make up something called the gut microbiome. Inside the microbiome, there are good bacteria and bad bacteria. In fact, most people don't realize that bacteria can be good. 

    In fact, good bacteria is one of the primary factors in keeping the body healthy. Remember that the gut controls 70% of the immune system, and it's the good bacteria helping to stave off illness and disease. Once the microbiome becomes imbalanced with bad bacteria, that's when things go south. 

    Probiotics contain live microorganisms (aka good bacteria) that hail from fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and others. Poor diets lead to an imbalance of bad bacteria. But adding probiotics helps to quickly remedy that imbalance by injecting good bacteria into the system. 

    While fermented foods are one good source of probiotics, others turn to supplements like 100 Billion, which contains 100 billion CFU of probiotics, or Probiotic Detox, which contains 50 billion CFU of probiotic.  

    7. Use Breathing Techniques

    Diaphragmatic breathing is a technique of breathing that helps aid the GI tract and provide digestive regularity. In this type of breathing, instead of moving your chest, it's your stomach that moves in and out with the breaths.

    Not only does this type of breathing help with digestive issues, but it also does the following: 

    • Reduce blood pressure and decrease the heart rate
    • Helps to reduce the amount of muscle tension
    • Oxygenates the blood
    • Warms up your feet and hands 
    • Boosts motivation and energy levels
    • Heightens concentration
    • Reinforces your immune system
    • Releases endorphins 

    Here's how it works: 

    1. Find a place where you can comfortably sit with your eyes closed.
    2. Take one hand and put it on your abdomen and put the other hand on your chest. The hand on your chest should remain still while the one on your abdomen moves. 
    3. Breathe in for 4 seconds, using your nose to take the breath as you feel the hand on your abdomen move while inhaling. 
    4. Hold the breath in for 2 counts. 
    5. Release your breath directly from your mouth over 6 counts. 
    6. Does this repeatedly for the next 10 to 15 minutes. 

    8. Avoid Or Limit Intake Of Foods Containing Lectins

    Another way to reduce gas and bloating is to avoid foods that contain dangerous lectins. Lectins are incredibly harmful. Some can even be lethal. Lectins are found in many types of foods, but most particularly in legumes and nightshade vegetables, 

    Lectins work by creating inflammation in the GI tract by attaching to it and releasing dangerous chemicals into the digestive system. This slows you down and creates excessive gas and bloating. 

     

    9. Drink Green Juices

    Numerous greens, superfoods and fruits can help with gas and bloating. Greens help to inject a much-needed dose of veggies into the digestive system. Ingredients like fennel, parsley and ginger can drastically aid in bloating and even help to relieve things like IBS and constipation. 

    There are numerous green juice powders that can help with this as well. Drinking two glasses of green juice per day can help to significantly alleviate many digestive-related issues. Plus, they can help support immune functions, provide heart health, energy and more. 

    10. Exercise Regularly

     The last, but not least, way to help ease gas and bloating is to exercise regularly. Just 20 minutes of light exercise per day can work wonders towards this cause. 

    In 2008, a study was published in a German publication called the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases. The study looked at the cause-and-effect of walking, jogging, or even drinking espresso after a hefty meal.

    It discovered that moving your body helped to move food through the digestive system much more rapidly. This helps to reduce gas by emptying out the stomach into the GI tract quicker. It also helps create far less stress and pressure on the stomach.