Here Are The Signs your Burping Is Abnormal

While you may not know it or even be disgusted, the truth is that your burping or the burps that you sometimes have are basically just farts that come out of your mouth.

Surprised? Don’t be. Burping is completely normal and it doesn’t normally smell the same way like butt-farts do. At the end of the day however, burps are all just air getting released from your stomach and that’s generally a good thing simply because it helps keep you comfortable and signifies that your digestive system is doing its job.

But if you’ve got excessive burping, or if your burps come with other weird symptoms, it may be a sign something is wrong with your body.

How much burping is considered ‘excessive’?
If you’re burping to the point where it’s bothersome and that’s happening three or more days a week, you may want to consider seeing your doctor. You will probably be asked about any daily habits you have that might be contributing to the problem.

“Aerophasia,” or swallowing air, is by the far the most common cause of mega-burping. You may actually not even realize you’re doing it when having a drink or chewing gum. All that swallowed air gets trapped in your oesophagus and stomach and it needs to find a way to get out somehow.

Burping by itself is almost never a sign of illness. Aerophasia is however a condition that you can fix by changing your habits such as reducing your soft drinks intake and chewing with your mouth closed.

There are however times when recurrent burping can signify a more serious, underlying problem—especially when it’s happening in conjunction with other symptoms. The following excessive burping symptoms should be a source of concern.

You start vomiting pretty suddenly
If your burps come on quickly out of nowhere, and are accompanied with nausea and lots of vomiting, this could signal a serious problem.

An inability to keep your food down, with a painful and distended stomach may mean you have a blockage or bowel obstruction. It could also be a sign of the stomach flu, an infection, or even cancer.

You feel really, bloated.
A puffy stomach can happen from swallowing too much air, but if you’re extremely bloated and it’s painful, it can be another symptom of an obstruction. If you don’t feel relieved after sometime or if you start vomiting, see a doctor immediately.

Bloating isn’t always serious though—it can also happen with irritable bowel syndrome and lactose intolerance, two other conditions known to give people burps.

You feel a really sharp pain in your ribs.
Hiatal hernias is a condition where your stomach bulges into your oesophagus and this can cause recurrent burping.

However, there is also a risk the hernia will become “strangulated”—when the hernia cuts off blood supply to the rest of the abdomen. A strangulated hiatal hernia requires emergency surgery, and can be fatal if left untreated.

Burning felling in your throat
If you burp a lot after a meal and your burps taste like stomach acid, accompanied with a burning sensation in your chest, you may have gastroesophageal reflux.

Burping associated with symptoms of reflux should be attended to, simply because it’s not good to have frequent acid reflux, which can be hard on your oesophagus.

You’re losing weight
Losing weight rapidly, along with burping, is another sign of a bowel blockage. Losing weight slowly, however, and when you’re not necessarily trying to, can mean you’re not digesting your food properly.