So, you had your favourite dish for dinner and now you are sitting on the couch squeezing your stomach tight. Upset stomach can be quite strenuous on your health. But the question is, do the home remedies for upset stomach work?
Upset stomach can be momentary because of something you ate. While the same doesn’t impose severe consequences, it could very beneficially affect one’s quality of life.
In this article, we are going to be discussing about the various remedies for upset stomach that you can administer for quicker relief.
What is Upset Stomach?
Often known as dyspepsia or indigestion, upset stomach is a condition in which the ingested food either gets improperly digested throughout the GI tract or there are inclusions of any form of microbial interactions that technically make the situation worse.
The condition can arise from a number of reasons – food poisoning and overeating being the most commonly known reasons.
Home Remedies for Upset Stomach
1. Apple Cider Vinegar for Upset Stomach
Often times, people have this notion that consuming apple cider vinegar will end up making the situation worse. But, it is believed that the apple cider vinegar helps balance out the stomach pH which helps to soothe an upset stomach.
What to do?
- To a glass of water, mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey
- Drink this once in a day for relief
How often?
- Once in a day
2. Baking Soda for Upset Stomach
The pH balancing property of the baking soda helps in getting rid of the irritation and helps subside any feeling of bloating.
What to do?
- Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to half a glass of water
- Consume this solution
How often?
- When you feel bloated and heartburns
3. Activated Charcoal for Upset Stomach
Activated Charcoal is yet another amazing upset stomach treatment that you can opt for. The absorbing property of it is what helps in extracting the excess gas in the GI tract that could be contributing to bloating. Not just that, it also acts upon the bacterial interaction causing the food poisoning and stomach ache.
What to do?
- Consume one activated charcoal capsule
How often?
- 1-2 times in a day
4. Banana for Upset Stomach
What to do?
- Consume 1-2 ripe bananas in a day
5. Ginger for Upset Stomach
This also has a beneficial impact in soothing the inner lining of the stomach, further aiding in the cure.
What to do?
- Steep some ginger tea in a cup of warm water
- Drink this warm when you have an upset stomach
How often?
- 1-2 cups of ginger tea
6. Honey for Upset Stomach
What to do?
- To a glass of water, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey
- Mix everything well
- Drink this concoction for instant relief
How often?
- 1-2 times when required
7. Eggs for Upset Stomach
Make sure that you are not over scrambling the eggs because that ends up making the situation worse.
8. Peppermint for Upset Stomach
Sucking on the mint leaves or even drinking the tea has beneficial impacts.
What to do?
- Brew some peppermint tea by boiling a handful of peppermint leaves in a pot of water
- Let it steep for 10 minutes
- Strain the liquid
- Drink this concoction by adding a teaspoon of honey to it
How often?
- 1-2 cups in a day
9. Chamomile Tea for Upset Stomach
What to do?
- Boil some water and pour it into a cup
- Steep a chamomile tea bag in it for 3-5 minutes to extract the maximum benefits
- Drink this when you have an upset stomach
How often?
- 1-2 times in a day
10. Ginger Tea for Upset Stomach
What to do?
- In a heavy bottomed vessel, add water and bring it to a boil
- Add some slices ginger into the boiling water and let it steep for 10 minutes
- Strain the liquid to a cup and add some lemon and honey for taste
- Drink this when you have an upset stomach
How often?
- 2-3 cups in a day
What Causes Upset Stomach?
When it comes to the causes behind the upset stomach, the possibilities could actually be endless and it is necessary to ensure that you take notes of these possible causes and try and avoid them for the maximum benefits.
There are three spectrums of potential causes that we are going to touch down on.
Diet
For the most part, it is often our diet that impacts the condition of an upset stomach. Some of the common causes of an upset stomach include:
- Food poisoning or the condition in which we consume the food that is contaminated with bacteria and parasites and thus ends up causing an upset stomach and consistent vomiting.
- Overeating is yet another one of the condition that can contribute to an upset stomach. When you are eating more than you can or should, the motility of the ingested food in the GI tract often ends up causing an upset stomach.
- Consistently eating greasy and fatty foods also often contribute to the induction of an upset stomach, making you feel uneasiness and even induce vomiting and nausea in an individual.
Lifestyle Factors
Apart from what we are eating, even our lifestyle has an impact on causing indigestion and sour stomach.
Some of the main lifestyle issues that can be a potent cause include:
- Emotional stress is one of the major causes of the upset stomach because, for the most part, we either end up eating more or less that affects our entire digestion process.
- Eating too fast without chewing properly or simply just gobbling down food while on the run
- Smoking can induce a very bad impact on the overall health, especially impacting the process of digestion and for the most part, labored digestion is the main reason behind the upset stomach.
- Consuming way too much alcohol or even caffeine ends up disrupting the overall stomach lining and inducing the signs of an upset stomach.
- Often times, when you eat and start travelling, the motion sickness can abruptly disrupt the process of digestion and cause an upset stomach and make you feel nauseous and dizzy at the same time.
Medical Conditions
Now, it is not always that it is you who is the main culprit behind the causes of the upset stomach. Often times, there could be possibilities that there is an underlying health condition impacting your health that is causing the upset stomach.
Some of the medical conditions that can play a crucial role in causing an upset stomach to include:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Stomach Ulcers
- Lactose Intolerance
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Intestinal Infection
- Some type of cancer formation in the GI tract
- Possible signs of Pregnancy
What Are The Symptoms Of Upset Stomach?
When it comes to the signs and symptoms of an upset stomach, the list is predominantly the same altogether with little to no difference relating to that of indigestion.
Some of the common symptoms of Upset Stomach include:
- Diarrhea
- Loose Stools
- Vomitting
- Nausea
- Weakness
- Stomach ache
- Abdominal Pain
How To Prevent an Upset Stomach?
As mentioned before, diet and lifestyle play a pivotal role in inducing the condition of the upset stomach which definitely something that can only be rectified by the person suffering from the problem. If you are conscious enough to not face the condition that you faced today, it is time that you make serious changes to your food habits as well as how you lead your daily life to be able to get over the condition effectively.
1. Eat Healthily
2. Exercise
3. Drink More Water
4. Avoid Spicy Food
5. Don’t Sleep After Eating
6. Avoid Smoking and Drinking
The home remedies for upset stomach actually does work wonders. Not only do they help in getting rid of the associated problems effectively, but it also does aid in boosting your overall health and well being, thus helping boost your overall quality of life.