4 Common Reasons For Stomach Pain & How To Treat It

Do you constantly find yourself with an upset stomach? You get an achy feeling in your tummy, or sometimes it’s a sharp stabbing pain. It comes and goes throughout the day - and sometimes it’s not there for a few days - but it keeps on returning.

Stomach pain is very normal if you’re suffering from an illness or have eaten some dodgy food. But, when it’s there for a long time, you start to worry. Your mind instantly drifts towards the worst things possible, and searching for your symptoms on Google makes things even worse!

What causes constant stomach pain and how do you treat it? Loads of different conditions and issues can make your tummy hurt, yet here are the four most common: 

IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome and stomach pain go hand in hand. IBS is a digestive issue that leads to symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, and gas. Lots of different things can cause IBS, making it difficult to treat. In most cases, there are problems with the bacteria in your gut. You tend to lack good bacteria, making it harder for your digestive system to…well…digest!

Thankfully, there are lots of treatments to try. Taking pro and prebiotics supplements will help boost your healthy bacteria and improve general digestion. You can also find medication that targets stomach cramps and eases your pain. If you often get stomach ache - along with the other symptoms mentioned above - after eating, IBS could be the cause of your problems.

Food Intolerances

People often get food allergies and food intolerances confused. A food allergy is way more serious as it can lead to extreme symptoms and possibly death. A food intolerance is simply when your body doesn’t tolerate a particular substance - like lactose. If you have a food intolerance, you’re likely to experience quite a severe stomach pain after eating. You may also have diarrhea or find yourself going to the toilet more often.

Yes, it is hard to distinguish between food intolerances and IBS in a lot of situations. The best approach is to keep a food diary and monitor your stomach. Do you only get pain after eating a specific type of food? If so, cut it out of your diet and see if your symptoms abide. The easiest way to treat a food intolerance is by identifying it and either reducing your consumption or cutting it out completely.

Stress & Anxiety

Your brain and digestive system are very closely linked. When you’re stressed or anxious, all sorts of complications happen to cause stomach discomfort. Signals to your digestive system are messed up, meaning you often feel pain or bloating. This can happen while eating, but it’s also common just during the day while you’re minding your own business.

There’s a big chance that stress or anxiety causes stomach pain if you get a bad stomach while stressed or anxious. Perhaps you have a big report coming up and your tummy feels constantly uncomfortable. Or, maybe you’re worried about another aspect of your health, meaning your stomach starts hurting as well. Either way, you need to tackle the problem to ease your discomfort. Places like Ottawa Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre can help you by providing cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT helps you rationalize your thoughts and deal with stressful situations better. The idea is that you learn how to cope in high-stress situations, so you prevent feelings of anxiety or stress from building up. In turn, this can help your stomach pain go away.

GERD

GERD is the medical term for acid reflux or indigestion. It’s when your stomach acid flows back up and can cause symptoms such as heartburn and pain in your abdomen. Yep, this sounds pretty gross, and it’s not the nicest thing to suffer from. If your stomach pain is accompanied by acid reflux, there’s a big chance this is the cause.

Treating GERD is relatively straightforward. Try to avoid foods that trigger acid reflux or indigestion as a starting point. Antacid medication is usually recommended to ease the symptoms if they can’t be avoided. You’ll find these pretty much anywhere and they’re designed to neutralize your overactive stomach acid, stopping it from flowing back up.

Figuring out the cause of your stomach pain is the key to treating it and feeling long-term relief. In most scenarios, one of these things will cause your abdominal issues. Of course, the best way to be 100% sure of the problem is by seeing a medical professional. Don’t be afraid to book an appointment with your doctor - it’s probably not something serious, but on the off chance it is, you’re better off finding this out ASAP.