How much burping is normal? What your belching can reveal about your health – and when to worry
WHETHER you’ve releasing pressure from a filling meal or you chugged that fizzy drink a little too quick – you can expect to let out a couple of belches.
Few people probably bother to count how many times they burp throughout the day – but have you ever what amount is normal?
A 2020 study published in Springer suggests that it’s perfectly normal to burp up to 30 times a day.
At first glance, this may seem like a lot.
But according to gastroenterologist Alison Schneider, burping shouldn’t necessarily be worrying.
“Burping as many as four times after a meal is considered normal,” she told The Cleveland Clinic.
When you’re factoring in three meals a day – plus a snack or two – 30 suddenly doesn’t seem like too high a number.
However, the gastro expert warned that they may be cause for concern if you’re burping so much it’s interfering with your daily life, or if you’ve getting other symptoms alongside it.
Here we go through the reasons you might be burping throughout the day and when you might have cause to be worried.
First, let’s get into what burping actually involves and why our body does it.
“Burping is your body’s way of expelling excess gas from your stomach,” Dr Schneider said.
“When we swallow food or drinks, it goes through a tube called the oesophagus and into the stomach,” Dr Schneider explained.
“It’s there that stomach acid and digestive enzymes work to break food down into nutrients that we use for energy.
“Gas is created in this process.”
But it’s also possible to swallow excess air while you’re eating and drinking, which can find it’s way back up your oesophagus to be released in a belch.
Drinking to through a straw, eating too quick, guzzling fizzy drinks, chomping on gum or even wearing dentures that don’t fit correctly can all lead to swallowing too much gas.
Your choice of foods can have this undesired effect too.
Eating gas-producing veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage may be making you burpy.
Other foods giving you a case of the belches include dairy products and beans, according to Dr Schneider.
If you think you’re burping more than the usual amount, here’s what it could be caused by.
1. Indigestion
Indigestion can cause a number of symptoms after eating or drinking, such as burping.
They include:
- Heartburn – a painful burning feeling in the chest, often after eating
- Feeling full and bloated
- Feeling sick
- Burping and farting
- Bringing up food or bitter-tasting fluids into your mouth
According to the NHS, you can usually treat this by cutting down on tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and alcohol and propping up your head and shoulder in bed with a pillow to stop stomach acid rising up your throat when you sleep.
Avoiding eating three to four hours before bed and staying away rich, spicy or fatty foods can help.
Weight loss may also lessen your symptoms, the NHS added.
But see a GP if you keep getting indigestion, are in severe pain, have difficulty swallowing, you’re sick often and you’ve lost a lot of weight without meaning to.
2. Acid reflux
“This is when the acid in the stomach flows back into your oesophagus and can cause heartburn or regurgitation symptoms,” Dr Schneider said.
You may also have:
- A cough or hiccups that keep coming back
- A hoarse voice
- Bad breath
- Bloating and feeling sick
How much farting is normal?
It might not seem polite, but everybody farts – some people more than others.
Like burping, it can sometimes be caused by swallowing too much air or the foods you eat.
On average, it’s normal to fart between 14 and 23 times a day.
But speak to a GP if you feel like your farts are excessive or particularly pungent.
Making these tweaks may help keep your trumps to a minimum:
- Eating smaller meals, more often
- Drinking or chewing food slowly, with your mouth closed
- Exercising regularly to improve how your body digests food
- Drinking peppermint tea
If you’re curious about what your toots say about your health, here’s a few pieces to browse through:
- A GP revealed how often the average person farts – and why some people are worse than others
- The five most common types of fart and what each says about your health
- What the smell of your farts says about your health – and when you should worry
It can be made worse by certain foods and drinks – such as coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate and fatty or spicy foods – as well as smoking, stress and smoking.
You should see a GP about acid reflux if making lifestyle changes or taking over-the-counter medicines to treat it doesn’t seem to be helping, and you have heartburn most days.
Having other symptoms, like food getting stuck in your throat, frequently being sick, or losing weight for no reason, are other red flags, according to NHS guidance.
3. Gastritis
“This means inflammation of the stomach lining,” Dr Schneider said.
“This can be associated with pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, feeling full soon after eating a meal, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.”
According to the NHS, symptoms of gastritis include:
- Tummy pain
- Indigestion
- Feeling full and bloated
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Being sick (vomiting)
- Not feeling as hungry as usual
- Burping and farting
You should see a GP if you have tummy pain or indigestion for longer than one week, and your pain is getting worse or keeps coming back.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if:
- You’ve lost your appetite
- You feel full after a very small meal
- You’ve recently lost weight without trying to
- It feels like you have a lump in your tummy
- It’s painful or difficult to swallow
- you keep being sick
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that causes digestive discomfort.
The main symptoms of IBS are:
- Stomach pain or cramps – usually worse after eating and better after doing a poo
- Bloating – your tummy may feel uncomfortably full and swollen
- Diarrhoea – you may have watery poo and sometimes need to poo suddenly
- Constipation – you may strain when pooing and feel like you cannot empty your bowels fully
Belching, heartburn and nausea can also occur as part of IBS, according to the NHS.
You should speak to a GP if you think you have the condition.
5. Stomach ulcers
Stomach ulcers – also known as gastric ulcers – are sores that develop on the lining of the stomach.
The most common symptom of a stomach ulcer is a burning or gnawing pain in the centre of the tummy.
But stomach ulcers aren’t always painful and you may experience other symptoms, such as indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux and feeling sick.
Some people also find they burp or become bloated after eating fatty foods if they have a stomach ulcer.
See your GP if you think you have one.
When should I be worried about burping?
Dr Schneider shared the following tips for lessening the amount you burp:
- Eat or drink slowly
- Avoid foods like broccoli, cabbage, beans and dairy products
- Avoid fizzy drinks like soda and beer
- Avoid chewing gum
- Stop smoking
- Move after eating
- Use an antacid
But the gastro expert noted: “If burping or belching too much is interfering with your daily life or if pain or other symptoms accompany this symptom, this may indicate another underlying illness requiring treatment.”
So if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed above – along with frequent belching – speak to someone about them.