Experts reveal the subtle reasons you might be feeling more flatulent than usual.
Photo: Getty / grinvalds
Being gassy stinks, sometimes literally.
Your sleep pattern is messed up.
Getty Images / Peter Dazeley
Out-of-whack sleep patterns can cause dysbiosis, which is an imbalance of gut flora.
You’re on medication.
Some medications have unwanted side effects, such as gas.
You talk while you eat.
Swallowing air between bites of food may lead to excess gas.
Experiencing stress can prevent your body from processing food efficiently, often passing it through your system too slowly.
(The subsequent constipation can also make it harder to pass gas, says Bernstein.
It’s a one-two punch that, ironically, can lead to more stress).
You’ve amped up your cardio.
Cardio workouts increase heart rate and respiratory rate, which translates into breathing more frequently and heavily.
Avoidinggas-inducing foodspre-workout, such as beans, lentils, cabbage, and broccoli, can also be helpful.
“Constipation is ultimately the top reason we experience more gas,” says Bernstein.
As a result, you’ll feel uncomfortably bloated and gassy.
You regularly eat fatty foods.
Drinking enough water and exercising regularly can also improve motility, Mussatto adds.
You constantly drink from a water bottle.
It’s best to sip slowly and keep excess air swallowing to a minimum.
You’ve got an infection.
Enteric pathogens (e.coli, salmonella) can typically result in diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and gassiness.
“They do this by causing inflammation of the small intestine,” says Berookim.
You’ve changed your diet recently.
“When they munch on it, they produce nitrogen gas, which gets released as flatulence.”
(And don’t forget to increase your water intake at the same time.
Otherwise, constipation.)
You have sleep apnea.
Many people with sleep apnea breathe through their mouth at night.
The machine has to be finely tuned to the individual to maximize effectiveness.
