Welcome to Healthline’s Gut Check Challenge — debloating edition. This 7-day series is designed to help you find simple habits that support your gut health and reduce bloating.
Follow along with the series each day, or explore all the information in one place here to grow your knowledge about gut health.
Day 1: How to Improve Your Digestion Naturally
Learn 12 easy, natural tips to improve your gut health and digestion.
Day 2: 10 Foods to Eat For Better Gut Health
We list 10 nutritionist-approved foods to balance your gut microbiome.
Day 3: How Sleep Can Affect Digestion
Did you know sleeping on your left side is the best position for digestion? Find out why.
Day 4: The Best High Fiber Recipes
We’ve rounded up our own tried-and-tested recipes to help you boost your fiber intake.
Day 5: How to Reduce Stress For Better Gut Health
Read stress relief tips from experts and people with lived experience for a healthy gut.
Day 6: Complete Guide to Probiotics
What actually are probiotics and why do they help balance your gut bacteria?
Day 7: Five Recipes for Easy Digestion
Here are 5 tasty, Healthline-approved meal ideas to support your digestion.
Looking for a quick guide to debloating? Check out these tips:
For immediate relief of bloating:
- Stay hydrated to flush out sodium.
- Try light exercise like walking or yoga to help your body release gas.
- Massage your abdomen to aid the movement of digestion.
- Place a heating pad on your stomach to relax your muscles.
- Try a herbal tea, like peppermint or ginger, to ease tension and help you digest.
To generally avoid bloating:
- Reduce your sodium intake: Too much salt can cause your body to hold onto water.
- Choose still over sparkling: Avoid carbonated drinks, which can cause excess gas.
- Don’t overeat: Have frequent, smaller meals to help avoid added strain on your digestive system.
- Try stress management: Cortisol, caused by high stress, can contribute to bloating.
- Chew your food well: Chewing your mouthfuls 20–30 times before swallowing can help avoid intaking air.
Bloating that doesn’t go away or causes severe symptoms always warrants discussion with a medical professional. It could be the result of an underlying condition, or your doctor might be able to recommend tailored advice to help you reduce symptoms. Clinicians may require certain tests to help explore what might be causing the bloating.
Some conditions that can cause bloating include:
Keep a food and symptom diary to share with your doctor, so you can both understand whether there are any triggers for your bloating or whether it comes alongside other symptoms.