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Health Education

How to remove gas from the stomach instantly

When you need to manage your gas in a hurry, you have options that include physical activity, over-the-counter medication, and home remedies
Taneia Surles, MPH
By | Nov. 13, 2023 Medically reviewed by Jesse P. Houghton, MD, FACG
A person wearing a sweatshirt and holding their hands to their stomach

Key takeaways

  • Engaging in physical activities like yoga, walking, and pilates can instantly alleviate trapped gas symptoms by promoting blood flow and movement in the gastrointestinal tract.

  • Over-the-counter medications such as Gas-X, Beano, Lactaid, and probiotics offer quick relief for trapped gas by aiding digestion and reducing bloating.

  • Home remedies, including ginger, peppermint, abdominal self-massage, and acupressure, can effectively manage stomach pain and gas.

  • Incorporating foods that prevent gas—cucumbers, certain fruits, and probiotic yogurt—can assist with long-term relief from trapped gas.

In this article:

Having gas is a normal part of the digestive process, but it can cause disruptive symptoms if it gets trapped in the intestines. Symptoms of trapped gas include abdominal pain, cramping, and bloating.

Intestinal gas is a normal result of digestion, but excessive gas can arise for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Swallowing air (aerophagia)
  • Drinking carbonated beverages, such as soda or beer
  • Dietary choices
  • Bacteria overgrowth

There are various ways to relieve trapped gas immediately. Physical activity and over-the-counter medicine like Gas-X may be the fastest ways to relieve gas, followed by dietary changes and home remedies.

Physical activity

If you want to know how to remove gas from your stomach instantly, consider engaging in more physical activity. 

“Exercise promotes blood flow to the GI tract, which moves gas and food more quickly and, thus, prevents a build-up of gas from occurring,” says Megan Hilbert, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching in Wilmington, Delaware. “Exercise is also often done when we are standing upright, and gravity is also something that can help move trapped gas more quickly along the GI tract.”

Below are exercises that can help you get rid of trapped gas. 

Yoga

Yoga, a popular exercise that can improve the mind and body, may alleviate trapped gas symptoms. Yoga poses for gas can “get our body into a parasympathetic state, which is our ‘rest and digest’ state,” Hilbert explains. “This is where optimal digestion happens.” 

The Wind-Relieving pose, or Pawanmuktasana, is one of the more common yoga poses or stretches for gas. 

Other yoga stretches to relieve gas include:

  • Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby)
  • Supta Matsyendrasana (Spinal Twist)
  • Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)
  • Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
  • Balasana (Child’s Pose)

Walking

Physical inactivity is one of the causes of constipation and its accompanying unpleasant symptoms, so low-impact and gentle exercises like walking can improve colon health and relieve gas. “Walking is also another great exercise that has been proven to move gas and food more effectively through the digestive tract,” Hilbert says. 

Pilates 

Similar to yoga, pilates is another mind-body practice involving a combination of movement and breathing exercises. Scientific evidence shows that pilates helps with digestion, including symptoms of trapped gas like bloating and flatulence. 

Certain pilates positions to relieve gas pain and discomfort include the following:  

  • Upavistha-Konasana (wide-angle seated forward bend pose) 
  • Paschimottanasana (sitting forward bend pose)
  • Pranamasa (prayer pose)

Over-the-counter medicine

If home remedies aren’t successful, or you’d prefer to start taking medicine, there are over-the-counter (OTC) medications that can remove trapped gas quickly. 

Here are the best over-the-counter gas and bloating medicines you can try to relieve symptoms. 

Gas-X

Gas-X (simethicone) is an anti-flatulent drug that helps move excessive gas through your digestive tract, resulting in flatulence or belching. This medication is sold as tablets, capsules, chewables, or liquid. Gas-X can begin to work within 10 minutes of taking it.

Beano

Beano, or alpha-galactosidase, is another OTC gas relief medication that “breaks down carbohydrates that cause gas and bloating so you can stop it before it occurs,” Hilbert explains. Beano can be chewed or swallowed. It can be taken before eating or up to 30 minutes after your first bite of food that might upset your stomach.

Lactaid

If you have lactose intolerance, lactase supplements like Lactaid (lactase enzyme) can help prevent or reduce gas symptoms. This OTC gas relief medicine contains the enzyme lactase, which helps your body break down sugar within milk products that can cause stomach pain and discomfort. It can take between 30 and 45 minutes for Lactaid to work.

Probiotics

The best OTC probiotics for gas and bloating should contain “good” bacteria like Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Both types of bacteria have been shown to help relieve symptoms of trapped gas. There are several OTC probiotics on the market, so be sure to choose one that fits your health needs. 

Other OTC options

Other over-the-counter medications for alleviating trapped gas include Pepto-Bismol and activated charcoal.

Home remedies

If your symptoms aren’t severe, you can try the following home remedies for stomach pain and gas. 

Ginger 

Ginger has a carminative effect, meaning that the herb “helps our digestive system move more effectively, which can release trapped gas,” Hilbert says. You can take ginger in the form of tea, capsules, or powder.

Peppermint 

Like ginger, peppermint is another natural remedy that has carminative effects that can help with intestinal gas. A study involving patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) revealed that peppermint oil could relieve symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, and flatulence. It can take one to two weeks to see an improvement in symptoms when taking peppermint oil capsules or other peppermint supplements.

Abdominal self-massage

One home remedy for trapped excess gas is abdominal self-massage. Abdominal self-massage involves massaging your stomach to move stool through your colon. This method can help relieve pressure, tightness, cramping, and bloating.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to administering abdominal massages for stomach gas:

  1. Lay on your back on a flat surface.
  2. Using your fingers, begin massaging the right side of your stomach toward your pelvis. 
  3. Use a circular motion to rub lightly up your right side until you reach your ribs. 
  4. Then, begin working your way down to the left hip bone and back up toward your belly button for two to three minutes. You can apply slight pressure with your fingers to your comfort level. 
  5. Spend a minute or so moving from the right hip bone to your right ribs and then another minute massaging across the middle of your abdomen before moving down toward your left pelvic bone, then back to your belly button.
  6. Repeat these steps in a clockwise motion for 10 minutes. 

Acupressure

If you’re up for trying acupressure at home, it can be one of the effective home remedies for painful gas. Acupressure is a type of massage therapy that involves applying pressure to certain body parts. 

In a study involving patients with constipation, acupressure was found to promote defecation and relieve symptoms like bloating. It’s possible that focusing on specific pressure points can relieve trapped gas. 

Acupressure points or acupoints that can help with bloating include:

  • Zusanli (ST36)
  • Shangjuxu (ST37)
  • Yinlingquan (SP9)
  • Zhigou (TE6)
  • Hegu (LI4)

To facilitate acupressure at home, use the following steps:

  1. Find the acupoint.
  2. Using your thumb or index finger, gently massage the acupoint with deep and steady pressure for one to two minutes.
  3. Focus on the massage by closing your eyes and practicing deep breathing.
  4. Repeat the massage as often as you’d like.

Dietary changes

The food in your diet may be contributing to your trapped gas. Foods that cause gas include “cruciferous vegetables, gluten, beans, and dairy products,” says Kenneth Brown, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist in Plano, Texas, and founder of Atrantil.

When you consume a diet high in carbohydrates, your stomach and small intestine may be unable to fully digest them. Once the carbohydrates travel to your large intestine, bacteria break them down, releasing gas. “These bacteria and their byproducts are the probable cause of bloating in your stomach throughout the day,” Dr. Brown adds.

Eating foods that prevent gas and bloating can help. For example, brown rice contains a high amount of fiber, a nutrient essential for regulating bowel movements and preventing constipation, a condition that can cause trapped gas. In certain individuals, high-fiber diets can cause an increase in gas, so it is best to slowly add more fiber to your diet.

For more immediate relief, consider the following foods and beverages that prevent gas and bloating.

Cucumber

Cucumbers contain nutrients like water; fiber; vitamins A, K, and C; calcium; and potassium that promote gut health. Because they are 96% water, cucumbers can increase digestion by regulating bowel movements and relieving bloating.

Certain fruits

Many fruits can help alleviate trapped gas. For example, apples contain fiber and vitamin C, which both contribute to preventing constipation and reducing inflammation that can cause bloating. Certain people may have the opposite reaction to apples, as they are considered a FODMAP-containing fruit. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which the small intestine absorbs poorly and can lead to digestive stress. 

Other fruits that alleviate trapped gas include:

  • Avocados 
  • Bananas
  • Berries
  • Pineapples 

Chamomile 

The dried leaves of the chamomile herb have medicinal properties that may relieve trapped gas. Chamomile tea contains volatile oils, which have anti-inflammatory benefits. Consuming this herb may soothe your stomach and dispel trapped gas. 

Yogurt with probiotics

Yogurts contain live probiotics, which are live microorganisms that can improve gut health and relieve symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, and gas. Probiotic yogurt may be effective for treating gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis. If you eat probiotic yogurt daily, you can expect to see results from probiotic yogurt within two to three weeks. 

Warm water

A glass of warm water may be beneficial in relieving or preventing pain and discomfort from trapped gas. “Warm water can help encourage blood flow to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which can help induce more movement like peristalsis and remove gas quicker,” says Hilbert. 

When to see a healthcare provider for trapped gas

While having trapped gas is often not a serious health problem, in some cases, medical attention is necessary.

The University of Rochester Medical Center recommends contacting your healthcare provider about your trapped gas for any of the following reasons in order to rule out a more serious condition: 

  • Your symptoms worsen.
  • You develop new symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, or weight loss.
  • You are vomiting.
  • You notice blood in your stool or have black, tarry stool.
  • Your pain doesn’t go away.
  • Your treatments are no longer working.

For trapped gas, you may be referred to a gastroenterologist or GI doctor. A gastroenterologist specializes in treating conditions that affect the digestive tract and liver. 

When diagnosing gas, a GI doctor or other healthcare provider may ask questions concerning:

  • Your symptoms
  • Your diet, including eating and drinking habits
  • Any prescription medications or OTC products and supplements you take
  • Current or past medical conditions

Your healthcare provider may perform a physical exam or digital rectal exam as an initial assessment. Diagnostic tests for trapped gas may include blood tests, stool tests, and X-rays. If your healthcare provider believes there’s an underlying health condition causing trapped gas, they may recommend additional testing. 

After examination and testing, your healthcare provider may prescribe an antibiotic, such as:

It’s important to note that these prescription medicines for adults are often prescribed to treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or SIBO, a condition in which excessive bacterial growth in the small intestine causes symptoms like bloating, stomach pain, and diarrhea. 

If you have trapped gas for days that causes severe pain, visit your healthcare provider. 

How to prevent gas

Trapped gas can be an uncomfortable and painful experience that’s best avoided if possible. 

Below are some tips for preventing trapped gas pain in your abdomen:

  • Avoid chewing gum or sucking on hard candy.
  • Don’t drink fizzy beverages or drink with a straw.
  • Don’t talk while eating or drinking.
  • Slow down when eating and be sure to sit down to eat. 
  • Remove foods from your diet that can cause abdominal issues. 
  • Ensure that your dentures fit properly.
  • Quit smoking.

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