How to Cure a Stomach Ache

When you feel a stomach ache coming on, it's hard to take your mind off of the pain and go on with your day. No matter what's causing the problem, you want it to go away fast. Put everything on hold for a little while and take care of yourself. If your stomach is bothering you, try some of these steps to get some relief.

Edit Steps

Part 1: When You First Notice Your Stomach Ache

Stop eating for a couple of hours to see if your stomach ache goes away. Lie down on your bed or on your couch, and put a pillow under your feet so that your feet are higher than your head. Close your eyes and try to relax.

Slowly start drinking clear liquids to see if your stomach can handle them.
- Suck on some ice chips or take tiny sips of water. If the water makes your stomach ache worse, then stop drinking it.^[1]
- Make some herbal tea that has peppermint in it. Peppermint calms the muscles in your stomach allowing your body to more easily and painlessly digest food. However, some people find that peppermint makes it worse,(especially if you are allergic to it!) so make sure you can handle it. ^[2]
- Sip some clear chicken broth. If you have it on hand, drink broth that is low in sodium. You want the liquid to be as bland as possible so that it doesn't end up making things worse.^[3]

Try ginger to reduce nausea. Multiple studies have shown ginger can help calm nausea.^[4]
- Take some ginger root capsules, which you can buy at a drugstore or at the supermarket. The dose is 2 ginger capsules (1 gram) 3 times daily.
- Grind some fresh ginger in hot water and mix it with honey to make ginger tea. Recommended dosage is 2-4 grams of fresh ginger, but only 1 gram for pregnant women. ^[5]

Take an antacid. Something like Tums or Milk of Magnesia can go a long way toward making your stomach feel better.

Get plenty of rest. It's okay to put other areas of your life on hold when you're not feeling well. You especially need to rest if you end up vomiting or having diarrhea along with your stomach pain.^[6]

Part 2: If You Start Having Stomach Cramps

Put a heating pad over your stomach so that the heat can relax the pain away. If you don't have a heating pad, then take a warm bath to try to relax your stomach.

Avoid eating or drinking dairy products for a while. If you notice a big improvement in your stomach cramping, then you may be allergic to dairy, or you may be lactose intolerant. ^[7]

Skip vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or beans if you are feeling cramped and bloated. Also, skip salt, which can make you retain water.^[8]

Look for an over-the-counter gas remedy that contains the ingredient simethicone. If you are experiencing gas, belching or bloating, a medication like this can help to make your symptoms go away.

Part 3: If You're Having Heartburn or Indigestion Regularly

Avoid eating late at night. When you eat at a late hour, the digestive juices can flow up from your stomach into your esophagus when you lie down to go to sleep.^[9]

Drink a glass of milk if you're okay with dairy. Milk helps to neutralize the excess stomach acid that can cause you to experience heartburn and reflux.^[10]

Ask your doctor about H-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). A lot of these medications, like Prilosec and Prevacid, are available over-the-counter. They don't neutralize stomach aches as fast as an antacid does, but they tend to work longer once they kick in.^[11]

Part 4: Prevent Future Stomach Aches

Manage your stress. You may get stomach aches more often if you're under stress.
- Stretch slowly and focus on your breathing. This simple relaxation technique will reduce your odds of future stomach pain.^[12]
- Try to manage your stress through exercise or meditation.
- Listen to music that makes you feel calm, or find something to do that puts you in a better frame of mind.

Change the way that you eat and drink.
- Eat smaller meals, and eat more often. Try bland foods like saltines or foods that contain a lot of water like celery or carrots. You can also try the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.
- Avoid foods that can trigger a stomach ache. For example, skip foods that are spicy or foods that contain a lot of fat. Caffeine, alcohol and carbonated beverages can also aggravate your stomach.
- If you're not sure which foods are upsetting your stomach, try cutting out 1 food at a time. For instance, go for a week without dairy and see if your stomach aches go away. If cutting that food doesn't work, then cut something else until you find the culprit.
- Keep a food diary and write down everything that you eat for a while. In your food diary, write down the days that you get a stomach ache. After a while, you may notice a pattern, and you'll know what foods to avoid.

Manage your weight. When you carry extra pounds around your mid-section, your stomach gets pushed upward and acid backs up into your esophagus. To lose weight, get some regular exercise, and cook healthily.

Skip aspirin and ibuprofen when you have headaches or muscle aches. Both of these medicines can irritate your stomach. Take something gentler like acetaminophen instead.^[13]

Edit Tips

Avoid sharing your utensils, plates or glasses if you are vomiting. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly and to clean any surfaces and bedding that come into contact with vomit.

For children who have nausea and vomiting, especially after taking an antibiotic, re-hydration is key. Make sure that they drink water as they recover. Give them organic yogurt to help repopulate healthy intestinal bacteria.

Stick to eating yogurt with live active cultures if you can tolerate dairy. The healthy bacteria will help to regulate your whole digestive system.

Take ibuprofen 12 to 24 hours before your period. Your system can go haywire around the time of your period, causing you to get not only menstrual cramps but also upset stomach and diarrhea.^[14]

Have something minty to eat and concentrate on something else.

Don't think about it so much.

Eat peppermint.

Try to lay in your stomach for a while, as this may help relieve some of the pain. This is easier if you are regularly a stomach sleeper.

Drink tea.

Shredded apple might help you.

Focus on breathing and try not to think about the pain. Deep breaths in and deep breaths out focus is the main key.

If it comes to the point of you might throw up, keep a trash bag or trash can near your bed, even if you think you can make it to the bathroom in time.

Drink Coca-Cola. It helps the food digest with the gases. You may feel your tummy start to grumble a bit, but that's okay, it is just the Coke that is working in your stomach

If you feel gas needing to come out, let it out. This might even be the problem and make your stomach feel better.

Edit Warnings

Call 911 if your stomach ache is associated with a recent injury or if you feel pain and pressure in your chest.

Many people get stomach aches when they travel overseas. Before you travel internationally, get a vaccination against rotavirus if it's available in your country. Also, be careful to drink only bottled water, to only brush your teeth with bottled water, and to avoid ice that could be made with contaminated water. Skip raw foods like peeled fruit and salad that other people touch with their hands.

Make sure that you eat meat and fish that is fully cooked. If you don't cook it to a high enough internal temperature, then you won't kill harmful organisms that may be living in the meat. Eating undercooked food can give you a nasty case of food poisoning.

Drinking a soda like Sprite or ginger ale has long been considered a home remedy for a stomach ache. Unfortunately, there is no medical evidence that it helps ease the pain. In fact, sodas lack electrolytes you lose may lose from stomach illness. Therefore, if you are going to chose a sugary beverage, try a sports drink or a re-hydration formula. ^[15]

Have someone take you to an emergency room if you are in so much pain that you either can't sit still, or you need to curl into a ball for relief. Also, go to the emergency room if you stomach is swollen or tender, if your skin is yellow, if you have bloody vomit or stools or if your nausea and vomiting continue for multiple days.^[16]