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This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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It’s normal to burp occasionally, but sometimes, normal burps can become a more irritating belching problem. If you’re self-conscious about your stomach’s bad behavior, you’re probably wondering if there’s anything you can do to curb your burping. In this article, we’ll walk you through medically-proven ways to tone down your belching and bloating discomfort so you can eat and drink worry-free. You might be surprised by how simple it is!
Things You Should Know
- Take in less air by chewing slowly with your mouth closed and drinking from a glass instead of a straw.
- Drink non-carbonated beverages and eat smaller, more frequent meals during that limit gas-producing foods like beans or cabbage.
- Try over-the-counter antacids that contain simethicone and talk to your doctor if your burps get worse or start to feel painful.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Minimizing Your Air Intake
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1Chew with your mouth closed. Seal your lips tightly immediately after taking a bite of food or sip of a drink. Don’t open them up again until you’ve swallowed all of the food or liquid. This will keep you from swallowing extra air by accident.[1]
- Similarly, avoid talking while you are chewing. Talking with an empty mouth is not only polite, it can lessen the possibility of air gulping.
- You can also ask a close friend or family member to watch you eating a few times and to alert you if you are opening your mouth while chewing.
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2Count down from 5 after every bite or sip. Eating or drinking quickly can result in more air slipping into your digestive system. This excess air can then cause burping. Choose to eat more slowly by pausing and counting after each bite. This will result in a more relaxing meal and lessen your possibility of gas.[2]Advertisement
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3Sip from a glass instead of using a straw. As you suck up the liquid with a straw, you are more likely to push excess air into your digestive system as well. Sipping lets you more closely control how much you are drinking at one time.[3]
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4Avoid chewing gum or sucking on hard candy. This can be a hard habit to break, but it might be worth it. As you break down candy in your mouth, you may slightly open your lips and suck in extra air by accident. This extra air can then cause burping or hiccupping soon afterwards.[4]
- If you really enjoy chewing gum, it can be hard to break this habit. When you feel like gum or candy, drink a glass of water instead. This will help to lessen your craving.
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5Treat any cold or allergy symptoms quickly. If your nose or throat is clogged or congested, you run the risk of pushing extra air into your digestive system when you try to breathe. If you feel unwell, take a nasal decongestant to reduce your symptoms and open your airways.[5] Breathing more freely will often reduce belching, too.
- Applying nasal strips to the exterior of your nose can also make breathing easier when you are congested.
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6Get your dentist to adjust your dentures if they are loose or ill-fitting. If you have to correct or adjust your dentures while eating or during the day, then you are likely letting extra air into your system. Go ahead and see if your dentist can adjust your dentures so that they don’t move during regular activities.[6]
- If the fit is only slightly off, then your dentist may be able to make the corrections in-office. If the fit is very wrong, you might require a completely new set of dentures.
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7Quit smoking. When you suck on a cigarette you are pulling air down into your lungs, but some of it can slip into your stomach and intestines as well. Smoking multiple cigarettes just magnifies this effect. Smoking as a habit can irritate your digestive system enough so that burping can become a regular problem.[7]
- Vaping can also result in excess gas getting trapped in your system.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Dietary Changes
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1Drink non-carbonated beverages. Go with water, tea, coffee, or even juices. Carbonated drinks, such as sodas and beer, contain gasses that can gather in your digestive system and cause burping. If you have to drink a carbonated beverage, go slowly and take small sips to break down the gasses.[8]
- Similarly, choose non-carbonated bottled water to reduce the possibility of belching.
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2Change your diet to include fewer gas-producing foods. Baked beans, lentils, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, and chocolate can produce gas during digestion. Fruits, such as apples, peaches, or pears, can also prompt bloating and digestive irritation. Identify those foods that might be causing you problems and take them out of your diet one at a time.[9]
- Also, avoid foods that contain large amounts of air, such as mousses, souffles and whipped cream. The more air you put down, the more air has to eventually come back up.
- Some people also find that eliminating gluten helps to reduce burping.
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3Eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day. Space these meals 3-4 hours apart, so that you’ll stay energized. It’s best if each meal contains a protein, such as chicken, to make you feel satiated longer. This is a great way to avoid eating large meals, which can result in bloating, stomach upset, and burping.[10]
- For example, a healthy small meal is scrambled egg with a side of wheat toast.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Avoiding Heartburn
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1Don’t lie down right after eating. The burning sensation that you feel creeping up from your stomach into your throat after or during meals is heartburn. If you eat overly large meals or if you lay down right after eating, then you may be encouraging heartburn. Belching often accompanies heartburn as a sign of general digestive upset.[11]
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2Take an over-the-counter antacid containing simethicone. Mylanta Gas and Gas-X are 2 of the more commonly available remedies. They help to dissolve and break apart any gas bubbles that make their way into your digestive system. Similar products, such as Beano, target the gas produced by particular foods.[12]
- Many of these OTC medications also treat general flatulence as well.
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3Reach out to your doctor if your symptoms worsen. If you start to experience regular or extreme pain in your stomach or abdomen, then this could be a sign of a serious digestive problem. Loose or bloody stools can indicate the same thing. If you start to lose weight quickly, then the burping may be a sign that your body isn’t processing food correctly.[13]
- Similarly, heartburn can cause mild pain in the chest area. But, it should never become extremely painful or radiating.
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4Get an endoscopy to rule out the possibility of GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causes inflammation in the lining of the intestines and can result in excessive belching. To diagnose GERD, your doctor might slide a small, flexible camera tube down your throat to examine your digestive system.[14]
- GERD can also cause heartburn and ulcers in the intestines.
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Warnings
- Carrying extra weight can put additional pressure on to your stomach and cause burping as well. Following a workout and nutritional plan to shed those pounds might reduce the burping.⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gas-and-gas-pains/in-depth/gas-and-gas-pains/art-20044739
- ↑ http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/burping-lot-and-i-want-stop
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5369716/
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gas-and-gas-pains/in-depth/gas-and-gas-pains/art-20044739
- ↑ https://www.webmd.com/allergies/decongestants
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7314-gas
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7314-gas
- ↑ https://gi.org/topics/belching-bloating-and-flatulence/
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7314-gas
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5369716/
- ↑ https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/burping-reasons
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7314-gas
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gas-and-gas-pains/in-depth/gas-and-gas-pains/art-20044739
- ↑ http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/burping-lot-and-i-want-stop
About This Article
Article SummaryX
The easiest way to stop belching is to chew with your mouth closed to avoid swallowing any air by accident, since belching is usually caused by excess air. Additionally, keep air out of your digestive system by chewing and drinking your food more slowly. Alternatively, try making dietary changes, like drinking water, tea, or juice in place of soda, since carbonated beverages contain gasses that can lead to belching. You can also try eating 4 to 6 small meals throughout the day, since large meals often result in bloating and burping. For more advice from our Medical co-author, including how to avoid heartburn symptoms, keep reading!
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Medical Disclaimer
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.
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