Excessive Burping – 10 Reasons and Remedies to Consider

Medical professionals say burping four times after a meal is considered normal. But some food can make you burp more than usual, and so do certain illnesses. But it is good for your health. Forcefully stopping it is not medically recommended. It serves as an essential body mechanism that doesn’t allow your stomach to overinflate. Therefore, with each swallow, you inadvertently ingest tiny amounts of air, which then travels down the esophagus and enters the upper portion of the stomach. But sometimes excessive burping can mean an indirect body signal alerting you of an underlying disease, like Gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD. Again, lifestyle and dietary factors are equal drivers of excessive belching, often leading to Sulphur burps. Greasy or spicy foods and soft drinks, e.g., fast food and drinks containing caffeine or alcohol, are significant offenders of your body breaking into burps above normal.

Some people are more prone to burping and farting frequently than others. In medical science, there are preventive measures to reduce your burp frequency.

Let’s dive deep into the world of burping!!!

What is Burping – Is it Synonymous to Belching?

In medical terminology, burping is used synonymously with belching or eructating. Belching, or burping, as everyone commonly refers to it, occurs when your body is trying to push out excess air from the upper digestive tract. Most often, burping happens when you swallow excess air. Reasons for burping and or excess belching can be diverse, as stated before. And some of them are directly linked to the food you eat.

Unhealthy modern lifestyles have a substantial role to play here! Inability to follow the body’s natural sleep and meal cycle, keeping yourself deprived of meals for extended periods, gorging on greasy, spicy, and fatty junk food, smoking, and alcohol are the primary offenders. Limited physical activity, sleeplessness, obesity, and excessive burping are the sorrowful byproducts.

That said, burping is still everyday body practice or an indirect hint of an undetected ailment, but it is not necessarily worrisome. However, frequent belching or burping can impact you differently, such as:

• Interferes with your daily activities
• It affects your quality of life
• Repetitive burping can be a nuisance, a reason for embarrassment

So, if you burp 20 times a day, it’s not a problem, but if you tend to burp 20 times every two hours, maybe you should worry a little.

Hence, to discover an easy solution, you need first to understand the whole mechanism behind belching or burping.

Evaluating the Body Mechanism – Why Do We Burp?

When a person burps or “belches,” it’s a way for gas to escape the digestive tract from their stomach through their mouth. There are two types of belching:

Gastric burping occurs as the body releases air from the stomach to prevent the abdomen from becoming too full of excessively swallowed air.

Supragastric: This type happens after sucking in or swallowing air to release it. People may unintentionally and habitually engage in supra gastric burping in response to discomfort in the stomach or behind the breastbone.

As mentioned before, acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause a series of burps due to increased swallowing. Also, belching is a symptom of stomach lining inflammation, or an infection caused by Helicobacter pylori. This bacterium is responsible for some stomach ulcers. However, in stomach infections, belching is one of the many other symptoms, such as heartburn or stomach pain.

Common Factors Inducing Excessive Burping

Frequent burps can be a bother. Since the chances of some undetected illness-causing burps remain open, you cannot possibly ignore the tale-tell signs or the inducing factors.

Here are some common factors triggering above-average burps a day.

1. Acid Reflux

Burping accompanied by heartburn may indicate acid reflux, where stomach contents back up into the esophagus.

2. Bubbly Drinks

Consuming carbonated beverages like sodas, seltzers, and beers can cause burping due to the increased air from the bubbles.

3. Certain Vegetables

Some vegetables can produce gas during digestion, leading to burping. These include:

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber

4. Excess Air Intake

Swallowing excess air, known as aerophagia, can cause frequent burping. This can result from chewing gum or smoking.

5. Fast Eating

Eating quickly or while talking can lead to swallowing more air, resulting in increased burping.

6. Gastritis

Inflammation of the stomach lining, known as gastritis, can cause burping. Other symptoms include indigestion, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and upper belly pain.

7. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Burping accompanied by bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea may be a sign of IBS. Repetitive belching is a common symptom.

8. Large Meals

Eating large meals can contribute to gas buildup in the digestive tract, leading to excessive burping.

9. Rumination Syndrome

This condition involves regurgitating undigested food after meals. People with rumination syndrome often chew or spit out the food unconsciously.

10. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

Excessive burping can result from SIBO, where an unusual number of bacteria in the small intestine leads to gas-related symptoms like belching, bloating, and flatulence.

Diet and Lifestyle Factors Triggering More Burps

Burping can expel the air from the stomach through the mouth. It is a standard bodily function that various diet and lifestyle factors can trigger. Excessive burping is also a sign of underlying health issues, but it is often related to certain habits and dietary choices. Managing these factors by making minor adjustments in your daily diet and lifestyle choices will help reduce the frequency of burping.

Dietary Factors

1. Carbonated Beverages: Drinking soda, beer, and other carbonated drinks can introduce excess air into the stomach, leading to burping.
2. Eating Too Quickly: Rapid food consumption can make you swallow more air, which increases the frequency of burping.
3. Chewing Gum: Regularly chewing gum can lead to swallowing air, resulting in more frequent burps.
4. Certain Foods: Certain Indian foods, like beans, lentils, cabbage, broccoli, and onions, are known to cause gas and burping.
5. High-Fat Foods: Fatty foods tend to decelerate digestion, leading to more gas production and burping.
6. Dairy Products: Lactose-intolerant people can experience belching of their stomachs, followed by excessive burping, when consuming dairy products.

Lifestyle Factors

1. Smoking: Inhaling smoke can cause you to swallow air, which can lead to more burping.
2. Talking While Eating: Engaging in conversation while eating can increase the amount of air swallowed, resulting in more burps.
3. Stress and Anxiety: It has been medically proven that excessive stress and anxiety levels impact digestion negatively and increase the amount of air swallowed.
4. Improper Posture: Poor posture, especially while eating, can lead to swallowing more air and increased burping.
5. Using Straws: Using straws to drink liquids, primarily aerated sodas, can cause you to swallow air, leading to burping.

How to Stop Burping – A Few Handful Remedies to Consider

Burping, while a natural bodily function, can become bothersome when it occurs frequently. If you can recognize the underlying cause, you can easily make subtle adjustments in your food habits and lifestyle to minimize excessive burping. Additionally, several remedies and lifestyle adjustments are available to help reduce the occurrence of burping. By incorporating these remedies and adjustments into daily routines, you can manage and reduce the frequency of burping. Eventually, this promotes better digestive health and overall well-being.

Dietary Adjustments

1. Eat Slowly: Avoid eating fast, as if catching the last bus home. A slower pace of eating can reduce the amount of air swallowed, thereby decreasing burping.
2. Avoid Carbonated Beverages: Reducing or eliminating soda, beer, and other carbonated drinks can help prevent the buildup of excess gas.
3. Limit Gas-Producing Foods: Avoid foods that are significant offenders causing gas in your body, such as beans, lentils, broccoli, cabbage, and onions.
4. Dairy Alternatives: If lactose intolerant, consider using lactose-free dairy products or plant-based alternatives to avoid gas buildup.

Lifestyle Changes

1. Chew Food Thoroughly: Ensure food is well-chewed before swallowing to aid digestion and reduce swallowed air.
2. Avoid Chewing Gum: Cut down on gum to reduce the amount of air swallowed, minimizing burping.
3. Quit Smoking: Quit smoking to prevent air from being swallowed.
4. Eat Smaller Meals: Reduce the portion size of every meal and eat small meals frequently throughout the day to assist your digestion and reduce the production of gas.
5. Maintain Good Posture: Sit upright while eating and for a short period afterward can help prevent swallowing air.

Practical Remedies

1. Peppermint Tea: Drink peppermint tea. This will assist in soothing your digestive system and reducing gas.
2. Ginger: Consuming ginger in tea or as a supplement can aid digestion and minimize gas production.
3. Probiotics: Take probiotics to balance gut bacteria and improve digestion, reducing gas and burping.
4. Activated Charcoal: Use activated charcoal supplements. This may help absorb excess gas in the digestive system.
5. Over-the-Counter Antacids: Use antacids to neutralize stomach acid and reduce gas and burping.

Dietary Changes to Prevent Excessive Gas Buildup

Excess gas buildup in the digestive system can lead to discomfort, bloating, and frequent burping. Specific dietary changes can help prevent the formation of excess gas and improve overall digestive health. Here are some critical dietary modifications to consider for reducing gas buildup.

• Reduce Carbonated Beverages: Limit intake of soda, beer, and other fizzy drinks.
• Avoid Gas-Producing Foods: Cut down on foods like beans, lentils, broccoli, cabbage, and onions.
• Lactose-Free Options: Choose lactose-free dairy products if you are lactose intolerant.
• Incorporate Digestive Enzymes: Consider supplements that aid in the digestion of complex carbohydrates.
• Eat Slowly and Chew Thoroughly: Prevent swallowing excess air by eating more slowly and chewing food thoroughly.
• Smaller, Frequent Meals: Opt for smaller meals throughout the day instead of large portions.
• Hydration: Drink plenty of water to aid digestion and prevent constipation.
• Limit Artificial Sweeteners: Reduce the intake of sorbitol and other artificial sweeteners, which can cause gas.
• Avoid High-Fat Foods: Reduce the consumption of high-fat foods that can slow digestion and increase gas production.
• Probiotic-Rich Foods: Include yogurt, kefir, and other probiotic-rich foods to maintain healthy gut flora.
• Ginger and Peppermint: Add ginger or peppermint to your diet to help soothe the digestive system.
• Whole Grains: Choose whole grains over refined grains to improve digestion.
• Fiber Intake: Gradually increases fiber intake to avoid sudden gas buildup, ensuring adequate hydration.

Conclusion

Understanding the basics of belching and its causes is essential for managing this common yet sometimes uncomfortable occurrence. Recognizing the dietary and lifestyle factors that contribute to excessive burping can help individuals make informed choices to reduce its frequency. By adopting preventive measures such as adjusting eating habits, avoiding gas-producing foods, and incorporating digestive aids like probiotics and herbal teas, one can effectively minimize discomfort and improve digestive health. Taking these proactive steps not only addresses the immediate issue of belching but also promotes overall well-being and digestive harmony.

Frequently Asked Questions