A few drinks here and there can be fun, sure. Dealing with alcohol related bloating is significantly less fun, but thankfully there are ways to combat this problem.
If you’ve ever felt bloated after a night out, you’re not alone! Most kinds of alcohol contain a lot of calories, which can result in puffiness and inflammation, specifically around your face and stomach.
Keep reading to find out why this happens, and what you can do to prevent it!
Causes of Alcohol Bloating
Sometimes it’s tough to keep track of calories contained in drinks, and a night out may easily push you over your regular calorie intake. Our bodies can only metabolize so much at one time. This can result in weight gain, but there are also a lot of other causes of alcohol bloating.
Alcohol’s inflammatory properties can irritate your intestines and cause swelling, and oftentimes popular mixers of alcohol— carbonated drinks with lots of sugar —can worsen these negative effects.
If you notice bloating in your face specifically it’s probably a result of alcohol’s dehydrating properties. When our bodies are dehydrated, they retain as much water as possible, so you may notice some puffiness and redness as a result.
Your body will not process alcohol the same way that it will other foods, and in fact will prioritize getting alcohol out of your system as opposed to absorbing important nutrients. Alcohol speeds up the digestive process to get the alcohol out of your stomach, which can irritate your stomach lining and intestines.
Depending on the cause of alcohol bloating, it can last a few days or even up to a few weeks. Irritation and inflammation of your intestines can lead to other problems, so it’s important that you take it seriously and take steps to prevent it.
Thankfully, there are ways to avoid alcohol-related bloating as much as possible, and even to help get rid of it when you’re already dealing with the problem.
Preventing Alcohol Bloating
Drinking water is always advisable before, during, and after drinking any amount of alcohol is a necessity, and it can also help prevent alcohol bloating by keeping you hydrated. Your body will store less water if you make sure it has enough!
Bloating can also be related to how you eat. It’s important to pace yourself with your meals, too, not just alcoholic beverages. If you make sure to eat slowly, you’ll swallow less air and be less bloated.
Gum and hard candy are foods that may also cause you to swallow air, so you may want to avoid them. Salty foods are good to stay away from as well, because these will also make your body retain more water.
You may think that exercise would be a great way to avoid bloating, and you wouldn’t be wrong, but it can actually depend on when and how you exercise.
Working out can reduce bloating if you do it after eating or drinking, but doing so early in the day can add to dehydration if you’re working up a sweat. Consider trying some low impact exercises so you’re not putting your body through too much.
Other foods to avoid are ones that cause gas— anything high in fiber or fat, dairy products, mushrooms, whole-grain foods, cabbage, beans, and several others can make bloating more of an issue. Making sure you eat a balanced meal before a day of drinking can go a long way.
You’ve probably heard of snacking through the day as a healthy dietary habit, and that definitely applies here as well. Making sure you’ve had plenty to eat before drinking heavily is always a must, and it will better prepare your stomach for alcohol consumption if you’ve made sure to have some fruits and vegetables.
Bananas are a great example, because they also contain electrolytes, which will definitely help your stomach. You can also drink water with electrolytes if you want to kill two birds with one stone.
Flat beverages are also better for beating alcohol-related bloating. Many people love a beer, seltzer, or soda, but if you stick to flat beverages you’ll have less bubbles trapped in your stomach, and less bloating! You can also consider drinking in moderation.
If you feel like you get bloated every time you drink, it may seem like there is no real solution to the problem, but the truth is that different solutions will work for different people!
Some types of drinks might make you bloated while others don’t upset your stomach at all, and for other people the complete opposite might be true. Typically drinks that are low in alcohol-content also have lower quantities of sugar and calories which can make them less likely to cause bloating.
The key to avoiding alcohol-related bloating altogether, though, is to know yourself and what works for your body, which is always advisable. Try out a couple different methods to find out what works best for you!
Of course, taking preventative measures is sometimes easier said than done. If you forget to take steps to stop bloating before you start drinking, never fear! There are also plenty of things you can do after you’re already feeling bloated to reduce the problem.
Getting Rid of Bloating
Once you’re already dealing with alcohol-related bloating, there are some quick fixes you can employ to help it to go down.
You can drink lemon infused water to help reduce swelling in a sore throat, and it can also help reduce bloating! Add some cayenne pepper— not too much, or it could be hard to drink —to really help. If you’re feeling bloated and you want to keep drinking, this could be the perfect cocktail for you!
Another spice with anti-bloating, detoxifying properties is tumeric. You can add it to a meal or a drink for a little extra kick, and it’s super healthy, too! Some other foods that can reduce bloating are pineapple, spinach, papaya, and coconut.
Back to spices, though— ginger can be a life-saver when it comes to a lot of different ailments, especially if your stomach is bothering you. Mix into your tea or in the alcoholic beverage of your choice as a tried and true remedy for bloating.
Apple cider vinegar and green tea can also have detoxifying effects, and in fact you could mix a bit of the former into the latter if you want a curing cocktail. Apple cider vinegar is, after all, not something you’d want a full cup of.
Cucumber and watermelon juice mixed together would not only be very refreshing, but both foods keep you hydrated and can help relieve gas. Strawberry basil water can help you expel toxins, too!
Perhaps a less quick fix for beating alcohol bloating, but still very important, is making sure you maintain healthy habits after a night out. Get a good night’s sleep, at least seven to eight hours, and you’ll be on the right track.
Especially if you’ve noticed an upset stomach after drinking, you should give your body a break before consuming alcohol again so that your digestive system can resume normal activity.
If alcohol bloating is becoming a serious issue for you, definitely consult a professional! It’s always best to check in with a doctor if you think something might be truly wrong, especially since consistent bloating is in some cases indicative of something more serious than an upset stomach being wrong.
It’s possible your doctor may prescribe something to help your stomach, but they could also very well recommend some sort of over the counter medication or supplement.
Plenty of different kinds of probiotics, H2 blockers, antacids, and supplements exist to help your digestive system, so consider what ones might work best for you! Here’s a brief explanation of what each one does.
Probiotics increase the number of helpful microorganisms in your gut, while H2 blockers and antacids will reduce your stomach acid, and both can in turn assist with indigestion. Supplements, on the other hand, are meant to supply you with nutrients you might not be getting from your regular diet.
There are certainly a lot to choose from, but we’ve got just the thing right here on our website!
Dr. Emil’s Total Gut Bundle
Keeping your digestive system healthy is incredibly important, and not just for avoiding bloating. Dr. Emil’s Total Gut Bundle will help you keep your stomach and intestines in good shape.
One of the products included in the bundle is our Daily Greens blend, which contains many natural micro and phytonutrients from plants as well as a variety of fruits, vegetables, and antioxidants to give you energy. These dietary supplements are unflavored, and have been enhanced with a blend of probiotics, enzymes, and fibers to help you digest easier.
It won’t just be good for your gut health either— your brain and your immune system can benefit from the nutrients this greens blend includes as well. As the name suggests, you can mix this blend into a beverage of your choice— water, a smoothie, or whatever else you’d like that you think would work best.
Our Total Gut Complex is our all-in-one gut health formula, with prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics and all included. This means that it will strengthen existing good bacteria as well as generate more healthy bacteria in your gut! Take two capsules a day, and keep your gut super healthy!
Both products are manufactured here in the U.S., and will be shipped securely and quickly to your home so you can start taking them as soon as possible! The bundle is currently on sale for 20% off, and is being sold for just $63.68 on our website.
You can also choose to buy the Daily Greens blend and Total Gut Complex supplements separately if you wish, and find them in various pharmacies if you would rather buy them in person so you can start taking them immediately.
Whether you’re trying to enjoy an alcoholic beverage on a day in or night out, you definitely don’t want a bloated stomach to ruin your fun. Thankfully, there are a lot of remedies available to you that you can try out and see what works best for you!
