Pain resulting from gas build-up is something often attributed to problems with the digestive system. Often times, it is abdominal discomfort and not chest pain caused by gas accumulation. However, trapped gas in your chest can lead to a stabbing, pain like sensation, and can often be confused with a heart problem.
Gas build up in the intestinal tract can leave you feeling bloated. While this is usually accompanied by abdominal pain, it can also lead to discomfort in the chest. Because your heart lies closer to the left side of the chest, pain in any form can be related to the heart, despite the contrary. This makes diagnosing chest pain due to gas build-up challenging.
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Chest pain due to gas can be the result of a number of causes including fiber-rich foods, having food intolerances, or digestive problems.
What causes gas pain in chest?
Knowing how chest pain due to gas accumulation begins can help you differentiate it. The following are various causes of chest pain.
High fiber foods: While eating adequate amounts of fiber help cleanse the colon and is considered a healthy part of a person’s diet, too much of it can lead to increased gas formation. The bacteria in your gut break down and metabolize fiber, which produces gas that needs to be expelled somehow. Typically, this is achieved through burping or flatulence, but until that time, gas may expand the intestine leading to pain.
High fiber foods are known to cause gas include beans, broccoli, cabbage, prunes, apples, pears, and whole grains.
Swallowing air: Every time we eat a meal, drink, or chew gum, we are also swallowing air. Eating meals too quickly can also lead to more air swallowing. Too much air leads to a build-up in the lower intestines, causing it to expand and cause pain until it is released.
Food intolerance’s: The most common food intolerance is to lactose or dairy products. These individuals lack the enzyme necessary to break down dairy-associated sugar, leading to excessive bloating, excessive gas, diarrhea, and nausea. Some individual may also have a similar intolerance to gluten.
Carbonated drinks: Consuming too many sodas can lead to gas build-up and subsequent pain in the chest. The carbonation itself is gas, giving soda its bubbly characteristic. Drinking too much should make you want to belch, but if you retain the carbonated gas, it will build up in the digestive tract.
Certain health conditions: Inflammatory diseases like Chron’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or diverticulitis can sometimes lead to excessive gas formation. Those with diabetes can also suffer from gas build-up as the bacteria in the gut becomes overgrown.
Heartburn: While not caused by a gas build-up, heartburn can sometimes be associated with chest pain due to gas.
Artificial additives: Artificial sweeteners commonly found in candy and gum can cause some individuals to experience gas and diarrhea. These sweeteners go by the names sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol.
Gas pain in chest symptoms
The symptoms of chest pain due to gas build-up are often brief, passing after a short period of time. You may notice that simply burping can help relieve pain, assuring that your pain was truly due to gas build-up. Gas causing chest pain may also be accompanied by abdominal pain. The following are some of the signs of gas pain:
- Jabbing pains in the chest
- Tightness in the chest
- Voluntary or involuntary passing of excess gas
- Belching
- Indigestion
- Pain in the abdomen that shifts to other parts of the abdomen
- Feeling bloated
- Loss of appetite
Home remedies to treat gas pain in chest
Using various home remedies can help to alleviate chest pain due to gas build-up. using more natural remedies can save you from going through the side effects that over the counter pharmaceutical medication may inflict. The next time you feel gas pain in your chest, try some of the following natural cures.
Cardamom and cumin: Considered one of the best natural options for relieving gas pain in the chest, as it acts as to relieve flatulence as well as aiding in digestion. Simply boil both of these in some water and drink as a tea.
Drinking hot fluids: A well-known trick for relieving gas is to consume hot fluids, as it helps to remove gases from the abdomen and chest naturally and is considered very effective.
Papaya: This tropical fruit is not only tasty, but also helps reduce the formation of gas in the abdomen. It is also known for stimulating the digestive tract.
Peppermint tea: This type of herbal tea is great for soothing the stomach and getting rid of excess gas in the gut. The warmth of the tea also helps to promote gas release naturally from the body.
Exercise: Living a sedentary lifestyle can cause your digestive tract to become stagnant and move slowly, leading to gas accumulation. Exercising helps stimulate all the muscles in the body, including the digestive tract, helping to expel chest pain causing gas.
Baking soda: A common ingredient in many baking recipes, baking soda can also be used to relieve excess gas build-up in the body. Simply mix some in a glass of water and drink it.
Sit ups: This type of exercise directly compresses the digestive tract, where gas tends to remain. By performing sit-ups, you can help squeeze the gas out for almost immediate relief from gas pain.
Apple cider vinegar: An effective home remedy for chest pain due to gas. Simply mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink it. The mixture also aids with digestion.
Avoid dairy products: Consuming too much dairy can cause gas build up regardless of if you are intolerant or not. It is a good idea to limit the amount you have and to identify the item that leads to excessive gas.
Drink lots of water: Staying hydrated is also a good idea and can also be good for helping to remove undigested food from the body by making sure your stools are soft. This way your intestines can stay clear of material that bacteria would metabolize producing gas.
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Avoid soft drinks: Consuming too much soda can lead to carbon dioxide gas accumulation, leading to gas pain in the stomach as well as the chest.
Mustard seeds: Adding this flavorful seed can help diversify your meals and also help reduce gas formation.
Related: Chest pain that comes and goes for days
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
