10 Reasons You Might Be Bloated and What to do ...

Photo Credit: ~*Leah*~

If its close to your period, this could be why you are feeling bloated. While there are more then 150 symptoms of PMS, this is one of the most common. It’s normal for the hormones at this time of the month to cause your waist and chest to swell a little, which can lead to your trousers feeling a lot tighter then normal. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about the swelling, so plan your wardrobe around this and invest in some gorgeous floaty materials.

Photo Credit: kevindooley

Salt is in almost everything we eat, including naturally in most fruits and vegetables, and added to salads and ready meals. It’s a great preservative, but it’s not too great for us, and the daily guideline is currently 6g a day. Too much salt causes the body to retain water, meaning you get uncomfortable bloating and puffiness too. I find it really hard to cut down my salt, I love chips, but I noticed straight away when I did!

Photo Credit: Claudio.Ar (not too much online)

While it is important not to cut wheat out completely if you don’t have an intolerance, this is something that is definitely worth thinking about and getting tested for. More and more people are diagnosed with wheat intolerance each year, and it prevents the body from regulating salt and water correctly. This leads to severe bloating, and if you are intolerant, cutting it out could make a huge difference. You can get a finger prick test done at health shops or your doctors, which will tell you if you are or not. If this is a possibility, definitely get tested!

Photo Credit: doug88888

If you are taking laxatives, these are commonly a cause of bloating and digestive irritation. They cause your body to retain extra water, and can also cause constipation or diarrhoea, both of which cause your body to feel dehydrated and retain every bit of moisture. A high fibre diet with plenty of water is a much better way to flush out your system!

Photo Credit: MooN-

Prescription medicines can sometimes be responsible for bloating, especially contraceptive pills. Any tablets which relax your blood vessels, mess with your hormones or block calcium channels are likely to cause swelling in some people, and if they do for you, talk to your doctor. There is usually an alternative tablet which will suit you much better.

Photo Credit: Johnkad

If you are retaining water and don’t know why, get your blood pressure checked. Borrowing or investing in a blood pressure monitor, and recording your pressure, could show that you have high/low/varying blood pressure, which can cause bloating and uncomfort. Blood pressure problems can cause heart and lung problems, so its well worth getting checked out.

Photo Credit: Neil T

If you sometimes find yourself feeling breathless, and you are quite bloated, then the two could be linked. It could be a sign of anaemia, or heart problems, as its most likely that it’s an issue with either carrying oxygen in the blood or pumping blood around the body. If you get it checked out, it will likely be easily controlled, but leaving it too long could cause further issues.

Photo Credit: Bidrohi Hirok[Comments plz,I love them :)]

Sitting down for long periods of time causes blood to pool in the bottom half of your body. The blood vessels will fill with blood, and surrounding tissue will collect fluid, which causes swelling. The same problem happens on hot days...expanding blood vessels cause tissue to collect fluid and expand, which makes you look and feel bloated. Try to walk around for a few minutes every hour, to minimise the effects of this!

Photo Credit: jtkauderer

Diabetes is becoming more and more common, and untreated or incorrectly treated diabetes can cause bloating and swelling. Fluid retention in diabetics can be caused by Nephrotic Syndrome, which is a complication which causes the kidneys to function incorrectly, allowing protein to seep into urine, and fluid to be retained. It can also cause high blood pressure, blood clots and cholesterol.

Photo Credit: Jennifleur79

Other health issues can also cause bloating, but it is a little rarer. For example, non diabeteics can suffer from Nephrotic Syndrome, or the same bloating and discomfort can be caused by liver damage, an underactive thyroid, or in some cases, cancer. If you aren’t sure what is causing yours, book yourself in for a health check!

There are some ways you can fight bloating, such as cooking with unrefined salt, not using dieuretics, and using sea salt and a loofah in your bath to increase fluid movement and break up retention. If you have an underlying health problem, these will only be a temporary relief at best, though, so make sure you get checked out. You’ll be much happier! Have you found a cause of bloating? I’d love to hear about it!

Top Photo Credit: SJBequeath