Why do I feel hungry and bloated?

If you have a bloated stomach, it is probably caused by insufficient gastric motility. However, if you are still hungry, it is best to eat small meals frequently and not eat too much at each time. Eat less spicy food and do not eat too cold or cool food. Smoke and drink less and do not stay up late. Develop good living and eating habits. If the symptoms cannot be relieved, you can massage your stomach or seek medical attention.

The latest statistics show that the prevalence of gastrointestinal motility disorders in my country is 10-30%, accounting for about 50% of the number of outpatient visits to the gastroenterology department. However, many patients lack awareness of gastric hypomotility, which leads to excessive examination and treatment. Gastric hypomotility refers to the contraction power of the stomach muscles, including the strength and frequency of gastrointestinal muscle contractions. In the past, doctors believed that functional dyspepsia was related to the amount of gastric acid secretion, but current research results show that it is actually caused by gastrointestinal "fatigue", that is, insufficient gastric motility. Gastric hypomotility mainly manifests in the following two symptoms:

Symptoms of gastric hypomotility

One of the symptoms is upper abdominal distension and discomfort, often accompanied by indigestion symptoms such as belching, loss of appetite, heartburn, acid reflux and pain behind the sternum.

The second symptom is often accompanied by neurological symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, anxiety, depression, dizziness, and headache.

People who experience these two symptoms go to the hospital for check-ups, and no ulcers, tumors, stones or other lesions are found. Some people also have gastroscopy, and the results are also mild gastritis, or even completely normal. This is functional dyspepsia, also known as gastric hypomotility.

What causes gastric hypomotility? There are mainly four points:

1. Gastric secretory dysfunction: There are two types of cells with secretory function in the human stomach wall, one secretes digestive enzymes and the other secretes gastric acid. When the function of these cells declines, the secretion of digestive enzymes and gastric acid also decreases, which reflexively inhibits the contraction and peristalsis of the stomach muscles, resulting in gastric motility disorders.

2. Mental and emotional changes: Mental tension and sadness can disrupt gastric function and affect sympathetic nerve transmission, resulting in slow gastric muscle contraction frequency. Food in the stomach cannot be discharged into the intestines in time, resulting in food and gas retention in the stomach, causing abdominal distension, belching, nausea and many other symptoms.

3. Improper eating: Overeating and excessive eating will cause the stomach to be overloaded, the stomach muscles to be insufficiently powered, the stomach cannot be emptied on time, and too much food accumulates in the stomach, which will lead to insufficient gastric motility.

4. Bad living habits: Excessive smoking can relax the pyloric sphincter and cause bile reflux; excessive drinking can also damage the gastric mucosa and cause gastric motility deficiency.

How to treat insufficient gastric motility?

1. Exercise more: When insufficient gastric motility causes bloating, you can do simple relaxing exercises, such as squatting down, hugging your legs with your hands, and bringing your thighs close to your stomach, which can help your stomach and intestines to relieve bloating. In addition, exercise half an hour after a meal to facilitate digestion of food.

2. Eat sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes contain a lot of cellulose, and the glucosinolates they contain have the same effect as dietary fiber. They can strongly stimulate gastrointestinal motility, enhance motility, promote defecation, and thus relieve symptoms such as bloating and stomach pain.

3. Develop good living habits and lifestyles, have regular daily life and diet, combine work and rest, and keep a good mood. To prevent constipation, eat more foods high in crude fiber to stimulate gastrointestinal motility.

4. Do not lie down immediately after a meal and avoid eating before going to bed.

5. Drug treatment: The third generation of this type of drug has been launched. Generally speaking, gastrokinetic drugs cause fewer adverse reactions and have a wider range of applications, but not everyone is suitable for this type of drug. In addition, this type of drug cannot be used in combination with digestive tract drugs such as anticholine drugs and antacids, and care should be taken when taking the drug.