Have you been dealing with or know someone who is dealing with a massive gas issue, where the burps and flatulence never seem to stop? Well, what you or others may be experiencing is a condition called Aerophagia.
What is Aerophagia?
It is a condition where a person tends to repeatedly and excessively swallow air. This can lead to the person having uncomfortable gastric symptoms. If you are wondering the other word for this problem is indigestion then you are wrong, this is completely different from indigestion.
Here’s how Aerophagia is different from indigestion.
Aerophagia VS Indigestion
While most of the symptoms are similar, both Aerophagia and Indigestion are distinct disorders. Aerophagia does not include the following symptoms that one might experience during indigestion
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weight Loss
- Feeling full without eating much
Physical Symptoms of Aerophagia
- Burping
- Bloating
- Abdominal swelling
- Flatulence
What leads to excessive swallowing of air?
There are several reasons that can lead to Aerophagia such as:
- Swallowing the food too fast with chewing properly
- Making small talks while eating
- Smoking
- Breathing through your mouth
- Chewing excessive gum
- Using a straw to drink
- Vigorous or high-intensity exercise
- Drinking excessive fizzy beverages
How to control Aerophagia at Home
- Taking your time to chew food thoroughly before eating another bite of food
- Reducing your consumption of aerated drinks
- Quitting or reducing smoking
- Avoid chewing excessive gum
- Breath through your nose and not from your mouth
- Breathing slowly and deeply
- Closing your mouth while eating food
- Avoiding the use of straws to consume beverages