Add these habits to your evening routine to keep bloating at bay
Key Points
- There are changes you can make to help reduce bloating in the evening.
- Going for an after-dinner walk, eating slowly and sipping herbal tea may help.
- Managing stress, staying hydrated, and improving your posture may decrease bloating.
It’s normal to feel bloated from time to time, but feeling bloated at night can be especially uncomfortable when you’re trying to wind down and go to sleep. “A little bloating by the end of the day is actually very normal,” says Ava Safir, JD, MS, RDN. “As you eat and drink throughout the day, your digestive tract naturally fills with food, fluid, and gas, so it’s common for your abdomen to feel fuller by evening.”
However, if you’re feeling too full on a regular basis, or experiencing pain or discomfort, assessing your habits may help. “Bloating can be worsened by eating too quickly, constipation, food intolerances, excess sodium, carbonated beverages, hormonal changes (such as PMS and menopause) and an imbalance in the gut microbiome,” says Lavanya Kethamukkala, RDN, CLT, LDN. The good news is that a few simple changes to your evening routine can help reduce bloating, improve comfort, and set you up for a better night’s sleep. Here are the top four evening habits to help reduce bloating, according to dietitians.
1. Take a 10-15 Minute Walk After Dinner
Walking gets things moving, and it’s one of the first things dietitians recommend for reducing bloating. “A short walk after your evening meal helps stimulate digestion and encourages food and gas to move more efficiently through the digestive tract,” says Kethamukkala. One study found that in individuals with chronic bloating, walking 10-15 minutes after meals for four weeks worked as well as a motility medication, notes Safir. The post-meal walkers had reduced bloating, burping and gas.
You don’t need a vigorous workout to get this effect, says Safir. “Even a gentle neighborhood walk can help food and gas move through the intestines and reduce bloating,” she says. Another benefit of walking after meals is better blood sugar control. Just 10 minutes can make a difference. Walking is a simple habit with big benefits you can add to your routine.
2. Slow Down at Dinner and Chew Thoroughly
We live in a fast-paced society where it’s the norm to eat quickly and on-the-go, whether that’s in the car, at activities or standing at the kitchen counter. But speed eating can worsen bloating. “Eating fast means swallowing more air (called aerophagia) and giving your stomach less time to register fullness,” says Safir.
Eating quickly also shortchanges the very first stage of digestion, which starts before food ever reaches your stomach, Safir says. “As you chew, saliva gets to work on carbohydrates while your teeth break food down into pieces your gut can handle more easily. When food arrives partially digested the way it’s supposed to, your stomach can process the meal more efficiently, which can mean less reflux and less of that weighed-down and bloated feeling after a meal,” says Safir. Start small by setting your fork down between bites to allow time to chew each bite more thoroughly before swallowing.
3. Wind Down Before Bed
Feeling wound up or anxious before bed? That can affect your gut. “Many people assume bloating comes entirely from something they ate, but the gut and nervous system are closely connected,” says Safir. If you’ve ever had butterflies in your stomach, you know the feeling. “Stress can change how quickly food moves through your digestive tract, how sensitive your gut is to normal amounts of gas, and even how your abdominal muscles respond, all of which can make bloating feel more noticeable,” she says.
Even if you don’t feel super stressed, having a peaceful routine before bed helps prepare your body for sleep. “Calming activities like gentle yoga, reading or deep breathing can help your body relax and support healthier digestion,” says Lauren O’Connor, M.S., RDN.
Safir adds that just five to ten minutes of slow diaphragmatic breathing, before or after a meal, helps relax the abdominal wall and shift your body into a more relaxed, “rest-and-digest” state. So, pause and take some deep breaths after dinner before moving to the next part of your evening.
3. Try an Herbal Remedy
Some herbs have been shown to ease digestion and reduce bloating. O’Connor recommends sipping ginger or chamomile tea, which both have soothing properties. “Ginger may help reduce stomach upset and bloating, while chamomile may support more comfortable digestion by reducing trapped gas,” she says.,
Peppermint might be worth trying, too. “Peppermint oil may help relieve bloating by relaxing the muscles of the digestive tract and reducing abdominal discomfort,” says Kethamukkala. Peppermint oil capsules are the most studied form of peppermint recommended to help with digestion. However, it is important to note that peppermint oil can worsen acid reflux in some people, so it might not be appropriate for everyone.
Other Tips for Bloating
Evening habits aren’t the only ones that can affect bloating. Here are other tips that dietitians recommend to reduce bloating.
- Manage stress. “Chronic stress can contribute to bloating by altering gut motility and increasing digestive sensitivity,” says Kethamukkala. Incorporate simple stress-management techniques, like deep breathing, yoga, meditation or even a 10-minute walk, she says, which support healthy digestion and can reduce bloating over time.
- Improve your posture. Spending a lot of time hunched over means your torso has less room to move, which can affect your diaphragm and influence how deeply you breathe, says O’Connor. Correcting your posture may help relieve symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), such as heartburn and bloating.
- Stay hydrated and limit high-sodium foods. Drinking enough water throughout the day keeps things moving in your digestive tract, while limiting highly processed, salty foods helps prevent water retention, which makes bloating feel worse, says Kethamukkala.
- Address constipation. Even if you have a bowel movement every day, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re emptying completely or that the stool is moving through at a normal pace, says Safir. “Slow transit or incomplete emptying can allow stool and gas to build up, contributing to bloating and discomfort,” she says. Focus on fiber, drinking enough water and moving daily.
- Pay attention to your body’s triggers. Different things can trigger bloating in different people. “Common triggers include lactose, sugar alcohols, carbonated beverages and certain high-FODMAP foods,” says Kethamukkala. Knowing what causes your bloating and working with a healthcare provider to come up with a personalized plan can help.
Our Expert Take
A little bloating in the evening is normal, but there are habits you can incorporate to relieve bloating at night, especially if it has become uncomfortable or painful. Slowing down while eating, chewing thoroughly and incorporating a calming routine in the evening can help keep bloating at bay. If your bloating feels chronically uncomfortable or painful, seek help from a provider who specializes in gut health to help you determine your triggers and come up with a plan.