What is Sour Stomach?
Recently you may have been hearing more news about sour stomach remedies and sour stomach natural treatments—but what exactly is a sour stomach?
Although it’s a cute use of alliteration, a sour stomach is just a new way of describing an upset stomach. Thankfully, there are a number of sour stomach home remedies available that can help your sour stomach feel, well, a little sweeter.
A sour stomach—or an upset stomach—describes a wide range of common symptoms. These include things like regurgitation, nausea, heartburn, bloating, indigestions and gassiness. Fortunately these sour stomach symptoms can be easily treated with home remedies.
In order for it to be considered a sour stomach, these symptoms should typically be unrelated to chronic conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); even though the symptoms overlap. If you’re repeatedly experiencing stomach troubles, it’s recommended that you speak to your doctor.
Sour Stomach Causes
A sour stomach can be caused by a number of things, and they’re typically the things that cause acid reflux or heartburn. These things can all be treated through good decision-making when it comes to meals, and by a number of easy and effective home remedies.
Some of the main causes of sour stomach are:
- Eating spicy, greasy or fatty food
- Drinking carbonated beverages
- Coffee
- Tea
- Alcohol
- Eating quickly
- Eating too much at one sitting
- Lying down soon after eating
- Sleeping soon after eating
- Late night eating
- Poor sleep
- Gastrointestinal (GI) tract infection
As mentioned, these causes can overlap other digestive issues. It’s important to pay attention to how often and when they arise for two reasons: the first is that you can learn potential triggers—like certain foods—to avoid; the second is that if they recur with frequency it might mean you’re suffering from something chronic. In most cases, however, digestive issues like a sour stomach can be treated naturally with home remedies.
Signs and Symptoms of a Sour Stomach
A sour stomach has a number of signs and symptoms that can appear either individually or simultaneously. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Regurgitation: This is when the contents of your stomach come back up into your esophagus. Unlike acid reflux, when stomach acid comes back up, there may be parts of chewed food that come up, which cause discomfort. Although it is not as forceful as vomiting, it may make you feel as though you want to throw up.
- Nausea: Nausea, queasiness, upset stomach, etc., is the sensation that typically occurs before vomiting. When this occurs the best bet is to sit down and try to relax. Although it’s possible nausea will not result in vomiting, symptoms can last for an extended period of time.
- Stomach bloating: A full feeling that can occur even if you’ve only consumed a small amount of food. It can create pressure in the lower abdomen, which can be very uncomfortable, as well as potentially lead to burping or gassy feelings. Bloating can also spread up the stomach.
Some other potential symptoms of a sour stomach are:
- Stomach pain
- Heartburn
- Acid reflux
- Belching
- Stomach gurgling
- Sour or metallic taste in the mouth
Home Remedies to Naturally Treat a Sour Stomach
If you want to lower the risk of a sour stomach and prevent yourself from having to use these natural remedies, there are a few things you can do.
The first is to do your best to eat smaller meals that feature whole food items like fruits, vegetables, legumes, leafy green, whole grains and other high-fiber items. Staying away from processed foods, greasy foods and fried foods is smart, as is eating big meals. Acidic fruit juices should be limited, same with coffee, carbonated drinks and alcohol:
1. Stand upright: When you stay seated or lie down immediately following a meal, there is a much better chance you’ll experience a bout of sour stomach. Stand up so the esophagus and stomach are extended, and there is plenty of space to let gravity do its thing.
2. Carrot juice: Blending up some carrots and water and sipping on the beverage can help relieve sour stomach symptoms. The carrots will help absorb acid that may have found its way into the esophagus. For a little more flavor, add some honey or mint.
3. Warm milk: If you’re not lactose intolerance, all you may need to treat a sour stomach is a glass of warm milk. Add some honey if you like and sip the beverage. As you do, it will coat your stomach and esophageal lining to ease the pain.
4. Baking soda: If you’re experiencing a sour stomach you can always head to the kitchen cupboard for some baking soda. A half-teaspoon in a glass of water should do the trick, and you can take it a couple of times per day until you notice improvements.
5. Ginger tea: You can also steep half a teaspoon of grated ginger in hot water to make tea. Steep it for 10-20 minutes and filter it out, then drink the tea about 20-30 minutes prior to eating. Ginger helps relax the stomach muscles to ease pain and keep things where they should be.
6. Apple cider vinegar: A great wait to naturally treat a sour stomach is by having a little bit of apple cider vinegar. Add a teaspoon to a glass of water and sip it slowly before a meal or once the sour stomach symptoms appear.
7. Caraway seed tea: A popular home remedy for a sour stomach. If you have caraway seeds on deck, add a teaspoon or two to a glass of hot water. Let it steep for 10 minutes and drink it up to twice a day between meals.
8. Cinnamon powder tea: Cinnamon tea is also a great way to fight back against a sour stomach, and because most people have it, it’s super accessible. Use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder in a glass of hot water and stir it. Drink it right away or wait for it to cool to enjoy the effects.
9. Banana: A banana is a good food that can help cover the stomach wall and reduce irritation from gastric acid. Bananas are also a great source of potassium, which is a natural antacid. A word to the wise: if you’re feeling nauseous or have just thrown up, you might want to hold off on eating whole foods like a banana.
10. Yogurt: It works similar to a banana as it can line your stomach to prevent irritation. Add some cumin or banana to your yogurt to add some flavor and further health benefits!
Sources for Today’s Article:
“Sour stomach symptoms, causes, diet, remedy and treatment,” Health Hype web site; http://www.healthhype.com/sour-stomach-symptoms-causes-diet-remedy-and-treatment.html, last accessed January 26, 2016.
“36 Home remedies for instant relief from sour stomach,” Home Remedy web site, September 12, 2014; http://www.homeremedyshop.com/36-home-remedies-for-instant-relief-from-sour-stomach/, last accessed January 26, 2016.
“What Is Sour Stomach?” DIY Home Remedy web site; http://www.diyhomeremedies.org/sour-stomach-remedies-causes-symptoms/, last accessed January 26, 2016.