How to recognize that overeating has caused heaviness in the stomach
Did you snack on the run during the day, did your diet include fatty or fried foods, did you not feel full, and did breakfast smoothly turn into lunch and dinner?
Then overeating took place, even if it seems to you that nothing major was eaten. What sensations may there be:
- pain in the stomach, which directly depends on food intake and occurs during or after a meal;
- there is discomfort, a feeling that the food has not reached its “destination” and you may feel hungry, but it is unpleasant to absorb food;
- nausea;
- discomfort in the intestinal area, bloating.
If these symptoms occur, you should consult a doctor, because pain and discomfort can be caused by gastritis, duodenitis or colitis in the intestines - all these problems can be resolved at an early stage by following a diet and taking the necessary medications.
THE NEXT DAY
The most important task the day after overeating is to return to normal, “non-holiday” loads on the digestive system. Instead of reaching for half-eaten cake in the morning, it's better to have a healthy, whole-ingredient breakfast that contains healthy fats, protein, and vegetables and fruits.
Even if you feel that “after yesterday” your clothes have become a little tight, you should not sharply limit yourself in calories and skip regular meals, but it is better to give preference to light meals. Drastically restricting your food intake will create a strong appetite and can push you into a new abyss of overeating.
The next day, it is useful to give the body some kind of physical activity, at least minimally - for example, go shopping for holiday purchases. Positive emotions will help you get through the day “after yesterday.” And at the end of the day, listen to your body and feel - it is begging you not to overeat during the next holiday!
Enzyme tablets for overeating
Enzymes, or enzymes as they are called, have the ability to enter into a chemical combination with digested food, break it down into proteins, fats and carbohydrates, thereby improving digestion and increasing the speed of food digestion.
In order to recognize that it is enzyme preparations that need to be used, you need to see a doctor, take tests for the production of enzymes; if a problem is really detected, then the doctor prescribes a medicine from this group.
List of enzyme drugs to be prescribed:
- Yuenzyme (unienzyme) - the medicine contains the enzymes papain and fungal diastase, which cope with the problems of digesting food; due to simection, gas formation is combated and activated charcoal completes the cycle of helping the stomach. This product has a low price (within 100 rubles per package), but high-quality action;
- Pancreatin - the name itself is the name of the enzyme. A cheap drug (its cost is up to 50 rubles), containing pancreatic enzymes, preventing discomfort and heaviness. It helps not only in the fight against endocrine insufficiency of the stomach, intestines, but also the gallbladder, and has an anti-inflammatory effect;
- Mezim can be classified as an analogue of pancreatin, but pancreatin has a more severe effect. Mezim contains high enzyme activity, which makes the tablets effective and possible for use for children, unlike pancreatin;
- Creon - a drug with a high enzymatic effect helps both in dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract and in leading a sedentary lifestyle, eating disorders, eating fatty foods, and can be taken for children from infancy.
How to remove unpleasant symptoms
The consequences of a large meal go away on their own if you wait a little. You can apply a warm heating pad to your stomach. Heat relieves spasms and increases blood flow to the digestive organs. The process will go faster and more comfortably.
Heaviness in the stomach
Doctors recommend taking enzyme preparations when overeating: Festal, Creon, Pancreatin or Mezim. They will help digest a large amount of food if a person lacks his own enzymes. Such medications are sold without a prescription, but they must be taken strictly according to the instructions.
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Nausea
You can drink some water with lemon juice; the sour drink will remove the unpleasant feeling in the stomach. Mint chewing gum is useful. If these methods do not work, prokinetic medications will help. The drugs Domperon and Motilium stimulate the motility of the stomach and duodenum, helping food move further. And Gastrosil, Cerucal and Reglan, in addition, reduce the excitability of the vomiting center.
Bloating
Traditional medicine advises drinking mint tea, ginger infusion, or chewing fennel seeds when overeating. These plants reduce gas formation and improve intestinal motility. Among pharmaceutical preparations, drugs based on simethicone will help out - Espumisan, Sab Simplex, Meteospasmil. The active substance destroys gas bubbles, crushes them into smaller ones, and promotes their movement through the intestines.
Heartburn
The abundance of food eaten prevents the lower esophageal sphincter from closing. Heartburn appears and gets worse if you bend over or lie down. The best thing to do is to wait without resorting to medication. Heartburn medications (antacids) neutralize acid in the stomach, which will not be beneficial if you overeat. In addition, such medications must be prescribed by a doctor.
Antacids - drugs to neutralize acid
Such medications are used most often; their use, as a rule, is of an emergency nature and is possible without a doctor’s prescription.
The category of antacid medications includes:
- Phosphalugel is a drug that is used for both children and adults in situations with difficult digestion of food, gastritis, erosion and poisoning. Neutralizes acid, envelops, heals the gastric mucosa. Reviews of this drug are mostly positive, both as an aid for overeating and as long-term therapy.
- Maalox has a similar effect to phosphalugel, coats the walls of the stomach and reduces the acidity of gastric juice.
- Almagel.
Compulsive overeating
What is compulsive overeating? What to do in this case? A similar diagnosis is often given to those who suffer from obesity. How is compulsive overeating different from normal overeating? This is a psychological pathology that manifests itself as follows:
• The patient often experiences bouts of uncontrolled binge eating. The portions are getting larger each time. In this case, food is absorbed quickly and without residue.
• When eating another dish, a person experiences frustration. Uncontrolled consumption of food leads to stress and depression, which arises due to dissatisfaction with one's appearance and figure.
• A person constantly makes excuses and feels sorry for himself.
You should not hope that this condition will go away on its own. In such cases, therapy is required.
Antispasmodics - first aid for pain
Abdominal pain sometimes requires emergency assistance, especially when the pain intensifies. This is what antispasmodics are designed for, they will relieve spasms and help continue treatment without feeling acute pain.
These medications include:
- Drotaverine is a powerful remedy that helps quickly relieve spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, relaxes smooth muscles;
- Meteospasmil eliminates spasms caused by flatulence, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and simply the consequence of a one-time overeating;
- Duspatalin.
How to avoid gaining weight after overeating
Frequent overeating is a chance to start gaining weight. The body will give a signal to accumulate unspent calories and will store the excess in adipose tissue. Storing fat in the long term can lead to negative health consequences. In order not to gain weight after episodic overeating, you need to follow these recommendations:
- You should eat sweets and starchy foods only in the first half of the day. Otherwise, unspent calories will turn into fat.
- Each episode of overeating is worth working out in the gym with additional training. Under no circumstances should you exercise with a full belly.
- It is important to drink more water - it will flush toxins from the body, normalize metabolism and prevent the growth of fatty tissue.
- It is necessary to avoid snacking at night. At this time, the body's resources are aimed at ensuring proper rest and recovery.
To prevent overeating from affecting your figure, you should begin to control your diet in order to get rid of bad eating habits.
Regular exercise combined with proper nutrition is the only way to keep your body in good shape.
Prokinetics - drugs to combat heaviness in the abdomen and the consequences of poisoning
Prokinetics are drugs that have an antiemetic effect. They are fast-acting drugs in case of poisoning, normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and prevent the formation of nausea-vomiting reactions and relapses.
Prokinetics in this area of application include:
- Motilium - the main effect is exerted by domperidone, it has no effect on gastric secretion and accelerates gastric cleansing. Copes with flatulence, nausea, heartburn;
- Cerucal;
- Other analogues of Motilium: Perinorm, Ceruglan, Intomed.
The number of drugs is exhaustive, but before resorting to their use, you must consult a doctor, undergo the necessary examinations, such as gastroscopy, fluoroscopy and ultrasound, take blood tests, and only after that the doctor will make the necessary prescriptions.
In order to prevent the appearance of painful sensations or prevent a relapse, it is necessary to carry out prevention; medications will also help with this, but of a milder effect with a cumulative therapeutic effect.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine also knows many techniques that will help cope with the consequences of overeating.
Everything that traditional medicine offers is taken at least half an hour after the first symptoms of the problem.
What to do if you overeat and feel sick?
If you feel sick after eating, then in most cases the reason is overeating. The question arises whether to induce vomiting or get rid of discomfort in another way. After emptying the stomach, your health will instantly improve, but you should not resort to this. The stomach and esophagus have different pH levels, and this system is not designed to move food in the opposite direction. Changes in the level of acidity in the esophagus and stomach lead to other problems, complicate digestion, and often cause discomfort.
But there are exceptions, for example, if the problem is exacerbated by excessive alcohol consumption. In such a situation, inducing vomiting will stop the absorption of alcohol by the walls of the stomach, that is, it will reduce intoxication. An additional measure to reduce intoxication is taking a sorbent. The most common sorbent is activated carbon; it is taken one tablet for every 10 kg of body weight.
Why do we overeat?
If overeating becomes not a one-time nuisance, but a lifelong companion, then problems with appetite are obvious. You can lose the ability to control your appetite for many reasons, for example, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or mental disorders. In some cases, you can solve the problem yourself, but often you cannot do without the help of a doctor.
The stomach can stretch; under the influence of pressure from the inside, it can increase six times in size. Being able to stretch doesn't mean it's okay to overeat. A healthy person with good eating habits eats only when hungry and eats exactly enough to feel full. But often we eat for company or out of boredom, which is how wrong habits are instilled and eating disorders develop. Many people overeat on a regular basis and don't even realize it.
If you've eaten too much fiber
Fiber is essential for maintaining a healthy body weight and normal cholesterol levels, it improves digestion and lowers blood sugar levels. But after you eat a lot of nuts, cabbage, apples or other foods high in coarse dietary fiber, you may experience bloating, discomfort, pain, and increased gas formation. The reaction to fiber varies from person to person, so you need to figure out which plant sources are best for you.
In order to avoid discomfort due to the consumption of coarse plant products, you need to drink water with every meal. The liquid helps the rough fibers move through the digestive tract and exit naturally. If you drink coffee, you will need more liquid. Caffeine has a diuretic effect; to compensate for losses, two glasses of water should be consumed for each mug of coffee. The combination of high amounts of fiber and caffeine leads to digestive problems. For an adult, the daily fiber intake ranges from 20 to 35 grams.
If you've eaten too much salty food
Excessive consumption of salty foods leads to swelling and severe headaches. The reason is a violation of the water-salt balance. If you suspect overeating salty foods, you should stop eating salt for the next few days and eat more natural foods, fruits and vegetables.
Even if there is swelling, you need to drink more water. This seems counterintuitive, but fluid is necessary to remove excess salt, which will also remove swelling. In addition to water, potassium is needed, it will reduce sodium levels in the body. You can get potassium from dried fruits, seaweed, bananas, lentils and nuts.
To release excess salt, the body has a sweating mechanism. If you have eaten too much salty food, then short physical activity will be beneficial. You can do anything, the main condition is to sweat. A visit to the steam room will also be useful; a sauna or bathhouse removes not only waste and toxins, but also excess salt.
