What is burping?
Burping, also known as belching, is a body’s act of getting rid of excess air from the food pipe and stomach through the mouth.
Why does it happen?
Every time we swallow food or drinks, we also swallow around 30 ml or a teaspoon full of air. The swallowed air enters the food pipe or oesophagus and stomach. The swallowed air accumulates in the stomach and causes fullness due to increased abdominal pressure.
The valve where the food pipe joins the stomach opens, allowing the accumulated air to escape into the food pipe and then out through the mouth. This mechanism is entirely normal and happens every day. However, one should seek medical help if it is happening too often, interfering with day-to-day activities
How to fix excessive burping?
- Eat and drink slowly: Rushing while eating and drinking and using a straw increases the chances of swallowing excessive air. Thus, taking time while eating or drinking, sitting upright, avoiding talking while eating, and chewing food properly will help.
- Avoid carbonated drinks: Fizzy drinks like sodas, colas, and beer contain carbon dioxide gas, which accumulates in the stomach and causes excessive burping.
- Avoid chewing gum: Chewing gum, tobacco, or betel leaves too often can make you swallow excessive air.
- Quit smoking: Smoking cigarettes makes you inhale more air than usual, leading to air buildup.
- Avoid habitual burping: Some people make burping a habit rather than a necessity. Such people can perform breathing diaphragmatic exercises before meals to deal with the burping habit.
- Deal with anxiety: People who are excessively stressed or those experiencing sleep issues and anxiety episodes can swallow more air unknowingly. This air comes out in the form of burps. This phenomenon is called aerophagia.
- Avoid foods with high sugar and starch: Digestion of sugary and starchy foods like potatoes and corn can produce excessive gas and cause burping
- Take a walk: Taking a 15- to 20-minute walk could keep the digestive system moving and help eliminate excessive gas.
Can burping be a sign of a heart attack?
In some people, the swallowed air gets trapped in the food pipe due to issues with the valve guarding the stomach opening. The trapped air can cause chest discomfort, which mimics pain coming from the heart. However, the discomfort goes away once the trapped air gets expelled through burps, suggesting that the chest discomfort is not coming from the heart.
When to seek medical help?
- Although burping is normal, sometimes it might indicate GERD or acidity and Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach.
- People experiencing excessive and persistent burping accompanied by other symptoms should seek medical help.
Takeaway points:
- Belching or burping is an entirely natural phenomenon of expelling swallowed air through the mouth.
- Excessive burping can be fixed with some lifestyle modifications.
- Persistent burping accompanied by other symptoms needs medical care.
If you are burping a lot despite changes in diet and lifestyle, consult a digestive health specialist or gastro doctor near you to diagnose and treat any underlying issues. Bangalore Gastro Centre Hospitals at HSR Layout is the best gastro hospital in Bangalore. It has top gastroenterologists working with nutritionists as a team to provide diet plans and treatment to help relieve your digestive condition.
