Do you keep feeling mild pain or discomfort in the area between your navel and the lower region of your breast bone? You could be suffering from indigestion or dyspepsia.
Indigestion is a common problem with people from all age groups these days. The best way to avoid those bouts of nausea, bloating and the weird feeling of fullness after having meals is to identify the root causes and avoid them. Here are some common causes that could be affecting your digestive health.
Poor eating habits: If you’re always in a hurry to finish your meal, indigestion will undoubtedly become the norm for you. Eating heavy, large meals without chewing properly can give rise to intestinal discomfort. Besides, spicy foods, oily and fatty foods can also trigger indigestion. If you want to correct your eating habits, firstly avoid overeating. Eat slowly and chew your food properly.
Digestive problems: Indigestion could occur if you’re suffering from other illnesses like gastritis (stomach inflammation), gallstones, stomach ulcers, gasteroenteritis due to H. Pylori infection and inflammation of the pancreas. In case your symptoms change abruptly, you should look for other symptoms of any of these conditions and seek medical help immediately.
Heavy alcohol consumption: Alcohol is a dehydrating agent that causes the cells to shrink and get damaged. If you drink excessively, your digestive health will quite obviously be impaired.
Smoking: Cigarette smoke is injurious to health in several ways and poor digestion is one of the ill-effects it has on your body. It kills your appetite by damaging the digestive enzymes. This causes the food to remain undigested for a long time. As a result, you feel full for a longer time.
Caffeinated beverages: Coffee, tea and other caffeine containing foods are already known triggers of acidity and GERD. Studies suggest that they prolong relaxation of the stomach muscles, causing delayed gastric emptying. This gives rise to cramping and bloating.
Anxiety and stress: The hormonal surge generated during stressful situations could be a reason for poor digestion. Some studies also state that dyspepsia can be an outcome of excessive stress, anxiety and depression.
Drug overuse: Certain drugs like painkillers and supplements may relax the esophageal sphincter muscles and cause stomach acids to leak back. This can cause indigestion symptoms like reflux and heart burn .
Exercising after a meal: Eating instant sources of energy before a work-out is a must. However, maintain a sufficient time gap between eating and exercising (at least 30-60 minutes). Ideally, you should not exercise immediately after having a heavy meal as it will increase blood circulation to other parts of the body instead of the digestive system.
Image Source: Getty Images
You may also like to read:
- Expert tips to beat indigestion
- Try mint to calm your indigestion
- How to relieve indigestion,gas and irritable bowel syndrome with yoga
For more articles on indigestion, check out our indigestion and diseases and conditions sections, respectively. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
