Learning about the cause of indigestion can help you know what to do make your stomach better, or what you need to do to avoid indigestion altogether. Everyone suffers from indigestion from time to time. Indigestion is nothing but erratic secretion of digestive juices in the stomach. It is characterized by improper digestion of food in your body resulting in discomfort in your upper abdomen or upper part of your bowel.
What Are the Symptoms of Indigestion?
Below are the most common symptoms that are experienced while suffering from indigestion, and it can include any or all of the following.
- Excessive pain in the abdomen
- Feeling full after having a light meal
- Burning sensation in the upper stomach
- Nausea followed by vomiting
- Growling stomach
- Acidic taste in the mouth
Studies suggest these symptoms may worsen with depression and stress.
Most common cause of indigestion
There are many triggers that can set off indigestion in the human body. Indigestion can be caused by something as simple as certain foods or drinks that a person is not used to, or something more complex like a disease the individual is suffering from. However, in most cases, an unhealthy lifestyle plays a big role in causing indigestion. The most common causes of indigestion are as follows:
Acidic food in your diet
Acids are primarily responsible for indigestion. Having acidic food triggers the acids in your stomach leading to acute indigestion. Avoiding acidic foods will greatly contribute to managing your indigestion problems.
When you eat more food than your stomach can handle, your body has a hard time digesting the food properly. Remember, when visiting a restaurant, attending a wedding, or any other social gathering with good food, don't stuff yourself. It's better to enjoy a little than to have indigestion afterwards.
Eating too fast and chewing your food too little
Food needs to be chewed properly to promote smooth digestion. Chewing your food for a longer time breaks down the food so that your stomach can easily absorb all the nutrients. Eating too fast only amplifies the risk of suffering from indigestion.
Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
Smoking cigarettes and drinking large amounts of alcohol can also be the cause of indigestion. Smoking and drinking excessively can damage your body. Remember to drink responsibly and, if you can, try to quit smoking.
Lack of exercise
A lack of exercise can contribute massively towards indigestion. According to the studies, regular exercises keep digestive system healthy and aids in digesting food, thus increasing the overall health of the body.
Sometimes emotional factors like work pressure, stress, tension or anxiety can add strain to the digestive tract. Emotional health is necessary for your body function properly.
Junk food, fried food, foods high in sugar, frozen food and any type of fatty food can lead to indigestion. As all these foods are unhealthy and difficult for the stomach to digest properly, indigestion is usually the result of eating them.
Bad posture, sleeping too soon after a heavy meal, lack of water in your body, and being overweight can make you prone to indigestion. However, if you suffer from acute indigestion from time to time, you can take proper medications, like Weleda Digestion Calming Drops, to alleviate the severity of stomach pain. Other remedies for indigestion that you can try are Healthaid Ginger Root Extract or Bioconcepts Ginger Capsules.