If you occasionally suffer from a bloated, gassy stomach, you may wonder what you can do at home to get rid of the gas and relieve the pressure in your abdomen. If so, use one or more of the following tips for treating your occasional stomach bloating at home.

Drink a Cup of Hot Herbal Tea

One way you can help reduce the gas in your intestines and get rid of the uncomfortable pressure is to drink a cup of hot herbal tea. Two herbs that have traditionally been used as gas reducers are peppermint and chamomile teas.

When making your tea, you can either use one herb by itself or combine the two herbs to increase the potency of your home remedy. To make the tea, use two bags of your choice or one bag of each tea.

Steep the bags in a cup of hot water, then let it cool slightly. If you want to sweeten the tea, use a teaspoon of honey. However, do not use any artificial sweeteners for the reasons discussed in the next section.

Stay Away from Artificial Sweeteners

If you use artificial sweeteners on a daily basis, these sugar substitutes may be contributing to your stomach bloating. Especially if you use sugar alcohols, you should try to stay away from or minimize the use of these sweeteners.

If you are already bloated, be careful with consuming them. When you already have gas trapped in your stomach and intestines, the sugar substitutes could increase your pressure and discomfort.

Instead, use honey as suggested in the first section. Do not use too much, however, as too much natural sugar tends to ferment in the gut, increasing gas production.

Eat Some Pumpkin Pulp

When you have a lot of gas, eating pumpkin pulp can help your body expel it. A natural source of soluble fiber, pumpkin pulp helps to clean out your intestines, pushing the excess gas out when you go to the bathroom.

To use pumpkin as a gas remedy, you can either grill, bake, or saute a cup of the pulp. If you do not care for the straight taste of it, add a little bit of nutmeg to improve the flavor. Or, add some grated ginger, a root herb that has also been used as a stomach remedy.

Lay Down on Your Left Side

After drinking your tea or eating a helping of pumpkin, lay down on your left side. Lying in this position helps your body get rid of the gas trapped in your colon, or large intestine.

When gas gets trapped in the descending colon on the left side of your body, it sometimes has difficulty making its way into your rectum. Since gas rises, your body may have trouble expelling gas that is fighting the muscle action of your intestine.

When you lay down on your left side, the gas in the descending colon is allowed to rise up into the rectum because the latter part of the colon's opening is above it.

As the gas makes its way towards your anus, do not try to keep the gas in. Go ahead and let the gas pass, even if you may be embarrassed. The faster you get the gas out, the better you will feel.

Using one or more of the above tips can help you reduce the gas and gain relief from your bloated stomach. However, if you start having frequent episodes of bloating, you may want to contact a stomach doctor to schedule an appointment so they can examine you and make sure the excess gas and constant bloating are not symptoms of a more serious issue.

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