Your stomach may hurt when you wake up in the morning due to indigestion, IBS, IBD, constipation, acid reflux, GERD, a food allergy, pancreatitis, a peptic ulcer, period pain, gastritis, diverticulitis, or gallstones. Speak to a doctor if the pain doesn't go away or if it was severe enough to wake you up from sleep.
Try putting a heating pad or hot towel on your abdomen. The heat can help relax the muscles and relieve cramping. Taking a hot shower or bath with Epsom salts may also help. If the stomach pain is persistent, try sticking to the basics with the “BRAT” diet – that is, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.
When you have it, you may feel: Cramping, churning, tightness, or knots in the stomach. “Butterflies” in the stomach feeling. Shivering, shaking, or twitching of muscles.
Usually, stomach pains are harmless conditions caused by overeating, gas, or indigestion. Frequent or recurring sharp stomach pain often is due to stress and worry, even in children. But it can point to more serious medical problems like pancreatic diseases.
Concomitant symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, jaundice, melena, hematuria, hematemesis, weight loss, and mucus or blood in the stool help direct subsequent evaluation.
Call your doctor if you have abdominal pain that lasts 1 week or longer, if your pain doesn't improve in 24 to 48 hours, if bloating lasts more than 2 days, or if you have diarrhea for more than 5 days. There are three body views (front, back, and side) that can help you to identify a specific body area.
Can stress or anxiety cause stomach pain? Absolutely. Stress and anxiety are common causes of stomach pain and other GI symptoms.
Abdominal pain that comes and goes in waves is called colic, and comes from the contraction of a hollow organ such as the bowel, the gallbladder or the urinary tract. Pain from other organs may be constant – for example stomach ulcers, pancreatitis or pain from an abdominal infection.
Whether you've got a mild ache or serious cramps, abdominal pain can have many causes. For instance, you might have indigestion, constipation, a stomach virus, or menstrual cramps. Other causes include: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Gastrointestinal function is particularly influenced by stress. Common gastrointestinal symptoms due to stress are heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and associated lower abdominal pain. These symptoms and the alterations in intestinal function that cause them are becoming understood.
Common stress-related gut symptoms and conditions include:
diarrhea. constipation. loss of appetite. unnatural hunger.
Symptoms of Gut Stress
Because gut stress affects your whole body, stay on the lookout for these symptoms: Upset stomach after eating. Diarrhea or constipation. Cramping and/or bloating.
Your stomach may hurt when you wake up in the morning due to indigestion, IBS, IBD, constipation, acid reflux, GERD, a food allergy, pancreatitis, a peptic ulcer, period pain, gastritis, diverticulitis, or gallstones. Speak to a doctor if the pain doesn't go away or if it was severe enough to wake you up from sleep.
Gas in the intestine causes pain for some people. When it collects on the left side of the colon, the pain can be confused with heart disease. When it collects on the right side of the colon, the pain may feel like the pain associated with gallstones or appendicitis.
Anxiety also triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This causes the body to produce extra levels of stomach acid. This acidity irritates the esophagus lining, leading to belly pain, nausea, vomiting, and in severe cases, stress-induced ulcers.
Natural remedies: Ginger, which people can sip as a tea, chew on as a root, or take as a supplement, may help alleviate mild gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea . Drinking peppermint tea or smelling peppermint oil may also reduce nervous stomach symptoms.
Pressing on your stomach is a way to find out if the size of your internal organs is normal, to check if anything hurts, and to feel if anything unusual is going on. Looking, listening, and feeling are all part of a physical exam.
If the pain is sudden, severe or does not ease within 30 minutes, seek emergency medical care. Sudden abdominal pain is often an indicator of serious intra-abdominal disease, such as a perforated ulcer or a ruptured abdominal aneurysm, although it could also result from a benign disease, such as gallstones.