16 Ways to Relieve Trapped Wind for Good

by Marketing OSbiome

We’ve all been embarrassed by passing gas in unfortunate situations. Although the pain from the embarrassment can hurt quite a bit, it usually isn’t as painful as a case of trapped wind. If you suffer from trapped gas, you should find a way to permanently solve your problem. 

Here are sixteen ways to relieve trapped wind for good:

  • Working out
    •
  • Consuming supplements for digestion
    •
  • Drink warm water
    •
  • Drink peppermint tea
    •
  • Eat more plants
    •
  • Consume less dairy
    •
  • Avoid carbonated drinks
    •
  • Do some yoga
    •
  • Take an apple cider vinegar drink
    •
  • Improve your gut health
    •
  • Eat more slowly
    •
  • Avoid using straws
    •
  • Consume activated charcoal
    •
  • Take herbs for gas and bloating
    •
  • Try breathing techniques
    •
  • Take over-the-counter medication

    • No matter how severe your case of trapped wind is, one or a combination of a few of the tips above will help you solve your problem for good. Keep in mind that many of these are lifestyle changes, so they won’t fix your problem right away. Stay consistent and you’ll be able to noticeably improve your trapped wind pains and aches!

    1. Working Out

    One of the most straightforward ways to improve your trapped gas problem is to work out. Any kind of physical activity will help relieve abdominal pain, so anything from a light workout to a heavy gym session will help relieve some of the pain. 

    If you’re suffering from severe trapped wind, you should be careful not to overdo it. Instead, go on a brisk walk in your neighbourhood or try doing some jumping jacks at home. 

    In addition to relieving some of the pain associated with trapped gas, working out can do wonders for your digestive health. Doing moderate physical activity for 30 minutes a day can be enough to improve your digestive health noticeably.

    Some of the digestive health benefits of regular exercise are:

    • Increases blood flow to muscles.
    • Engages the muscles in your digestive system.
    • Improves gut health.
    • Relieves symptoms of digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
    • Relieves constipation and helps your digestive system keep things moving.
    • Prevents gallstones from forming.

    On top of all of that, working out will keep you happy and glowing as it pumps out plenty of endorphins! Try working out as a first step towards relieving your trapped wind symptoms for good.

    2. Consuming Supplements for Digestion

    There are many supplements that can help improve your digestion. Many of these work by aiding your digestive system by breaking down the food even further so that your intestinal tract doesn’t have to work as hard. Others will prevent digestive issues, like acid reflux or indigestion. If you suffer from trapped wind, any of these supplements should help relieve your symptoms.

    Here are the best supplements for digestion:

    • Probiotics. Consuming probiotic supplements can help introduce new bacteria to your microbiome, which can in turn help improve digestion. 
    • DGL (liquorice). Taking liquorice supplements can help reduce heartburn and acid reflux. 
    • Peppermint oil. This can be especially helpful for those who suffer from IBS, as peppermint oil has been found to ease the pain and reduce the bloating associated with IBS.
    • Chamomile. You’ve probably drank chamomile tea to soothe a sore throat before, but did you know that it can also be incredibly helpful in treating digestive problems too?
    • Ginger. This healthful root seems to have incredible benefits for virtually every ailment. Consuming ginger supplements can help relieve nausea and other stomach issues.
    • L-Glutamine. Known as “the intestinal helper,” this supplement will help relieve diarrhoea and improve absorption of nutrients.
    • Psyllium. This high-fibre ingredient is used in most laxatives, so it will help your food pass more easily. Make sure to drink plenty of water when taking psyllium supplements!
    • Artichoke. While these vegetables are both nutritious and delicious, taking an artichoke supplement can help with symptoms of indigestion. It can also help relieve abdominal pain, making it an excellent option for relieving trapped wind.

    Trying out any of the supplements above can be a great way to naturally relieve trapped gas pain before reaching for OTC medication.

    3. Drink Warm Water

    You probably already know that drinking water to stay hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health–both hot and cold. However, did you know that drinking warm water has some unique benefits that can make it even better for your gut? 

    Here are some ways drinking warm water can help relieve trapped wind:

    • Keeps the digestive system moving. Drinking warm water will help your digestive system move things along, which may reduce the risk of air getting trapped in your intestinal tract.
    • Relieves constipation. Drinking warm water will prevent constipation by dissolving some of the food in your digestive tract.
    • Improves blood circulation. Warm water will help improve blood circulation, which will allow your digestive organs to do their job more effectively.
    • Helps detoxification. Studies show that drinking warm water helps the body remove toxins.

    If you can, switch out your bottle of water for a nice steamy cup of warm water. You will stay hydrated and keep your digestive system in top shape to prevent digestive issues!

    4. Drink Peppermint Tea

    Drinking peppermint tea is an easy and delicious way to improve your digestive health. Peppermint tea can help soothe your digestive pain, which is important when trying to relieve symptoms of trapped wind.

    Additionally, peppermint tea has been shown to be a significantly effective treatment for patients with IBS. It can also help treat abdominal pain by reducing its intensity, frequency, and duration. If you’re looking for a natural way to relieve pain from trapped wind, peppermint tea might be your best bet!

    5. Eat More Plants

    One of the best ways to improve overall digestive health is to eat more plants. Specifically, plants that have a high fibre content. Paradoxically, fibre is not broken down by our digestive system when we consume it. Instead, our gut microbiome takes it and turns it into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). 

    SCFAs can do wonders for our digestive health. They help reduce inflammation, ease bowel movements, and prevent digestive and autoimmune diseases. Increasing your fibre intake is one of the most effective ways to reduce trapped wind symptoms for good. 

    Here are some of the best high-fibre foods:

    • Split peas
    • Lentils
    • Broccoli
    • Green peas
    • Black beans
    • Chia seeds
    • Brussels sprouts
    • Raspberries
    • Pear
    • Apple
    • Cauliflower

    Try adding more of the food items above into your diet. You should experience a noticeable change in your trapped wind symptoms.

    6. Consume Less Dairy

    Even if you’re not allergic to dairy, it is very likely that you’re lactose intolerant. In fact, it is estimated that 68% of all humans in the world are unable to properly digest lactose. So, almost three in four people suffer from lactose malabsorption, making it likely that you do, too. 

    Decreasing your consumption of dairy could potentially alleviate digestive problems such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain, gas, and bloating. It can also trigger more subtle symptoms like stomach rumbling and even make you feel lethargic. Pay close attention to how you feel after consuming dairy and see if you notice that your trapped wind symptoms worsen.

    If you are not allergic to dairy but suspect that you may have lactose malabsorption, you could also take a lactase supplement. Lactase can help manage the symptoms of lactose intolerance, thus allowing you to continue consuming dairy products without harming your digestive health.

    7. Avoid Carbonated Drinks

    Carbonated drinks like soda and beer can be awful for people who suffer from trapped wind. The gas in these drinks can increase the amount of gas in your gut, which could directly lead to trapped wind. 

    Carbonated drinks can also cause some otherwise unpleasant symptoms, such as bloating, cramps, diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain. They will also increase the amount of acid in your stomach, which may irritate the lining of your stomach and trigger acid reflux. It’s best to avoid carbonated drinks altogether when managing a trapped wind problem.

    8. Do Some Yoga

    While yoga is often lauded for its physical and mental benefits, few talk about how incredible it can be at improving digestion. Indeed, even just performing a few simple yoga poses for a few minutes can give your digestive system a healthy reset that will help you pass gas, reduce bloating, and improve digestion. 

    Check out the following YouTube video for a 15-minute yoga routine to aid digestion:

    Yoga With Adriene – Yoga for Digestion

    9. Take an Apple Cider Vinegar Drink

    Apple cider vinegar has become an incredibly popular ingredient in the health and wellness space. Although many of its alleged health benefits may be overblown, there are a few instances where the power of apple cider vinegar comes through.

    Digestion is one of those cases. Apple cider vinegar can help reduce inflammation and ease constipation. The vinegar can work as a natural laxative, helping you pass food more easily and thus prevent the likelihood of dealing with trapped wind. There is also some evidence showing that apple cider vinegar can be good for your gut health, so you shouldn’t hesitate to give this powerful vinegar a chance!

    To make an apple cider vinegar drink, you simply have to mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of water. You can use warm water to get even better results for your digestive health. We recommend always using a straw when drinking an apple cider vinegar drink as the acidity of the vinegar could damage your teeth if it comes in direct contact with them. 

    10. Improve Your Gut Health

    Working towards improving your gut health is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. If you’re dealing with trapped wind or other related digestive issues, a healthy gut microbiome can be a major game-changer for your digestive health journey. 

    Here’s how a healthy microbiome could help relieve trapped wind:

    • Improve digestion. A balanced gut flora will allow you to digest food more easily, thus reducing the chances of gas buildup getting trapped in your intestinal tract.
    • Prevents nutrient malabsorption. A gut in dysbiosis can trigger small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which will affect nutrient absorption.
    • Reduce inflammation. A healthy gut microbiome will reduce internal inflammation, which will help your digestive system work more effectively.

    Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

    Improving your gut health is a simple yet comprehensive process that involves lifestyle changes. There is no magic pill that will drastically improve your gut health, so you have to implement small changes and stay committed to them in the long term to experience positive changes in your gut microbiota.

    Here are some of the best things you can do to improve your gut health:

    • Eat more plants. One of the best ways to improve your gut health is to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. These contain plenty of fibre, which will keep your good gut microbes happy and healthy.
    • Eat more fermented foods. Fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, miso, kimchi, and tempeh are great for gut health as they help introduce new bacteria into your gut. 
    • Eat a wider variety of plants. The number one indicator of gut health is the diversity of your diet. The more types of plants you consume, the more strains of bacteria you’ll be able to host in your gut!
    • Avoid alcohol. Studies have found that alcohol abuse leads to an imbalanced microbiome. Even casual consumption of alcohol increases intestinal inflammation, which is bad not only for gut health and also for trapped wind. 
    • Sleep more. Sleep has been found to be correlated with gut health. This relationship also seems to be bidirectional, so the better sleep you get, the better your microbiome will be, and vice-versa! 
    • Avoid antibiotics. As you can imagine, antibiotics work by killing bacteria in our bodies. Although this can be great when we have severe infections, antibiotics inadvertently kill off healthy bacteria too. Avoid antibiotics whenever possible to protect your good bacteria. 

    The best way to keep track of your healthy gut health habits is through the OSbiome app. This app will allow you to view and track your progress towards a healthier gut, and is free of charge for all users! 

    And if you’re ready to take things to the next level, you can order an OSbiome Gut Health Test Kit today to get personalized reports on the status of your gut microbiome. You will also receive personalized instructions on what lifestyle changes you need to supercharge your gut health.

    11. Eat More Slowly

    Eating more slowly and chewing your food very carefully before swallowing is a great way to aid digestion. In a way, you are helping your digestive system by doing its work ahead of time. This will help your digestive system focus on the cellular level breakdown of food, which you won’t be able to assist with consciously. 


    You should try to chew your food 30 times before you swallow it. This will improve digestion significantly and reduce indigestion. Plus, you will be less likely to overeat as chewing slowly will give you a better chance to notice that you’re full before you’ve chowed down your entire meal! 

    12. Avoid Using Straws

    Believe it or not, straws can cause bloating. Think about it–the straw is full of air before you take a sip, so all the air inside the straw will go directly into your gut. While inhaling air isn’t always problematic, it can be if you’re having any type of digestive issues. 

    You should avoid using straws when trying to deal with trapped wind symptoms. 

    13. Consume Activated Charcoal

    You’ve probably heard of activated charcoal for its teeth whitening and oral health properties. Beyond supporting a healthy mouth, activated charcoal can actually help eliminate toxins from the digestive tract. Activated charcoal is able to do this by trapping toxins in your intestines before they are absorbed into your system. 

    Activated charcoal is so powerful, in fact, that hospitals even use it in cases of extreme gastrointestinal contamination. In other words, activated charcoal can be used to treat some patients who have suffered from drug overdoses or food poisoning! Try using activated charcoal to see if it can clear any toxins from your digestive tract and help with your trapped wind problems. 

    14. Take Herbs for Gas and Bloating

    Herbs are powerful little plants that can pack a big punch on your health. As covered earlier in this article, some herbs like peppermint and dandelion are very effective at improving digestion. However, there are many herbs that have properties that promote a healthy digestive system.

    Some of the best herbs for digestion are:

    • Cilantro
    • Fennel
    • Turmeric
    • Anise
    • Caraway

    Try steeping some of these herbs in warm water to make your own digestive health tea. You could also blend them in a smoothie to get the digestive benefits while masking some of the taste if you’re not a fan. 

    15. Try Breathing Techniques

    Deep breathing has been found to relieve the pains of trapped wind for many. Also known as diaphragmatic breathing, this technique seeks to help the body relax in order to allow the digestive system to work as it should. Quieting the mind and reducing stress as you inhale and exhale can provide some much-needed release to your digestive system. 

    Watch the following video from Michigan Medicine to learn how to practice diaphragmatic breathing:

    Diaphragmatic Breathing Demonstration from Michigan Medicine

    16. Take Over-the-Counter Medication

    Finally, you should consider taking over-the-counter medication if you cannot find any alternative ways to deal with trapped wind. Although you don’t need a prescription to get this medicine, you should ensure that you’ve exhausted other natural ways to treat trapped gas before resorting to medication. 

    Some of the most common over-the-counter medications for trapped wind are:

    • Gas-X
    • Phazyme
    • Wind-eze
    • Detinox Colic Drops
    • Mylanta Gas 
    • Infacol

    Try looking for any of the above medicines in your local pharmacy. The active ingredient is simeticone, so you may also find it under a different name depending on where you live. 

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