Stomach Pain in the Morning: What Does It Mean and What Can You Do About It?

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Aanchal Rao
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Stomach Pain in the Morning: What Does It Mean- DATOS

A stomach ache means your stomach hurts between your ribs and pelvis. Most times, morning stomach aches will go away on their own without special medicine.

However, sometimes, morning stomach pain needs a doctor’s help. If it wakes you up from sleep, talk to your doctor.

There are lots of things that can make your stomach hurt. They can happen in the morning, too. This article will tell you more about why your stomach hurts in the morning, how to stop it, and when to see a doctor.

Why Your Stomach Hurts in the Morning

Usually, stomach aches go away on their own after a while and do not need medicine.

Stomach pain might feel like this:

  • A hungry feeling
  • Squeezing
  • Not sharp
  • Like something is twisting
  • Just a constant ache
  • Like a quick, sharp poke
  • Like something is burning.

Lots of things can make your stomach hurt, and some can be more serious than others.

How Bad Stomach Pain Can Be

Stomach aches can be a little or very painful. However, how much it hurts does not always show how bad the problem is.

You could have really bad stomach pain from gas or a stomach bug, and it might not be very serious, but it still hurts a lot.

On the other hand, dangerous stuff like colon cancer or early appendicitis might not hurt much at all. If you are not sure why your stomach hurts or how bad it is, ask your doctor.

Upset Stomach

Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia, can make your stomach hurt at any time, even in the morning.

Besides stomach pain, indigestion can make you feel:

  • Gassy
  • Have diarrhoea
  • Bloated
  • Burp a lot
  • Hear loud stomach sounds
  • Throw up
  • Feel full too quickly.

Indigestion can happen because of how you live, the health problems you have, or the medicine you take.

Things you do that can cause indigestion

  • Smoking
  • Drinking too much alcohol
  • Having too much caffeine
  • Eating too fast
  • Feeling stressed
  • Eating spicy, greasy, or fatty foods.

Health problems that can cause indigestion:

  • Ulcers
  • Gallstones
  • Pancreatitis (a problem with your pancreas)
  • A stomach infection caused by bacteria
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Gastritis.

Some medicines can also give you indigestion, like antibiotics, aspirin, or anti-inflammatory drugs.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS for short, is a name for a set of problems that often happen at the same time.

People with IBS have belly pain that keeps coming back. They might have trouble with diarrhoea, constipation, or both.

About 12 out of every 100 people in the United States have IBS.

Here are some signs of IBS:
  • Belly pain
  • Changes in how their poop comes out
  • Constipation (when it is hard to poop)
  • Diarrhea (when they poop a lot)
  • Feeling puffed up in the belly
  • Seeing white-ish mucus in their poop
  • Feeling like they did not finish going poop.

For people who get their period, these problems might get worse when they are on their period.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD, is when your stomach and gut keep getting red and swollen. It is because of one of these three things: Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or a type we are not sure about, called indeterminate colitis.

IBD can make your belly hurt at any time.

You might also feel:

  • Really tired
  • Lose weight
  • See blood in your poop
  • Keep having runny poop
  • Bleed from your bottom.

Constipation

When you have trouble pooping and only go less than three times a week, that’s called constipation. It can make your stomach hurt, and you might have these problems:

  • Cannot poop easily
  • Feel like you didn’t finish going poop
  • Poop is dry and hard
  • Poop comes out in lumps
  • It hurts when you poop.

Peptic Ulcer

A peptic ulcer is like a sore inside your stomach or the first part of your small intestine called the duodenum. They are quite common.

If the sore is in your stomach, it is called a gastric ulcer. If it’s in the duodenum, it is called a duodenal ulcer.

These sores can happen because of taking too much pain medicine like NSAIDs or from a kind of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. Not everyone with an ulcer feels it.

Usually, an ulcer causes a burning or dull pain in your belly between your breastbone and belly button. It often hurts around meal times and can wake you up from sleep.

Other signs of ulcers can be:
  • Throwing up
  • Burping
  • Poop with blood
  • Black poop
  • Throwing up blood
  • Not feeling hungry
  • Losing weight without trying
  • Feeling like you might throw up.

When to See a Doctor

Usually, stomach pain goes away on its own and is not a big problem.

But if you wake up because of very bad stomach pain, you should talk to your doctor.

You should also call 911 or go to the hospital right away if you have stomach pain in the morning and you:

  • Are you getting treated for cancer
  • Feel pain in your chest, neck, or shoulders
  • They can’t poop and are throwing up
  • See blood in your poop
  • Throw up blood
  • Feel a sudden, strong pain in your belly
  • Cannot breathe properly
  • Have pain between your shoulder blades and feel like you might throw up
  • Have a hard or stiff stomach
  • Feel sore when you touch your stomach
  • Are you pregnant or might be pregnant
  • Recently, you hurt your stomach because of an injury.

You should also talk to your doctor if you have stomach pain and:

  • You have diarrhea for more than five days
  • Your stomach hurts for a week or more
  • You feel bloated for more than two days
  • The pain does not get better in a day or two or gets worse
  • You feel a burning when you pee
  • You pee a lot
  • You have a fever over 100°F if you’re an adult or 100.4°F if you are a kid
  • You do not want to eat
  • You see bleeding from your vagina, and it will not stop
  • You’re losing weight without meaning to.

Treatment

How to treat stomach pain depends on what is causing it. If it’s not too bad, you can try some medicine you can get without a doctor.

But if the pain is from something like IBD or IBS, you will need special treatment and medicine.

Do not use aspirin or drugs like ibuprofen for stomach pain, except for period pain. These can make your stomach or gut feel worse.

You can also try some things at home to help your stomach pain:

  • Drink enough water
  • Do not have too much coffee or alcohol
  • Get some rest
  • Eat simple foods.

You can also use a warm blanket or hot water bottle on the sore spot to feel better.

Prevention

You can lower the risk of getting stomach pain by making good choices in your everyday life.

Here is what you can do:

  • Drink plenty of water every day.
  • Get some exercise.
  • Don’t eat foods that can make you gassy.
  • Have smaller meals more often.
  • Eat food with lots of fibre.
  • Eat plenty of fruits and veggies.
  • Eat meals that have a little bit of everything in them.

Summary

Usually, stomach pain in the morning is not a big problem. It can happen because of things like indigestion, IBS, IBD, constipation, or peptic ulcers.

However, if your stomach keeps hurting or if you have other scary symptoms, you should see a doctor. They will figure out why your stomach hurts and give you a plan to make it better.

Some Questions

Why Does My Stomach Hurt in the Morning?

Your stomach can hurt when you wake up in the morning because of things like indigestion, IBS, IBD, constipation, acid reflux, GERD, food allergies, pancreatitis, peptic ulcers, period cramps, gastritis, diverticulitis, or gallstones. If the pain does not go away or it is really bad and wakes you up, you should talk to a doctor.

What Should I Eat When My Stomach Hurts in the Morning?

Here is a quick reminder. Foods like bananas, white rice, toast, crackers, and broth are easy on your stomach and can help when your stomach is upset. Avoid foods and drinks that are hard to digest and can make stomach problems worse.

Why Does My Empty Stomach Hurt?

Hunger pangs, also called “hunger pains,” happen when you feel discomfort or a gnawing sensation in your stomach or belly. They come from the muscles in your stomach and intestines squeezing because of a hormone called ghrelin, the hunger hormone. It happens when your stomach is empty.

How Do I Know If My Stomach Pain Is Serious?

Call your doctor if your stomach hurts for more than a week, if it does not get better in 1 to 2 days, if you are bloated for over 2 days, or if you have diarrhea for more than 5 days.

How to Make Stomach Pain Feel Better?

Drink clear fluids like water. Cut back on coffee, tea, and alcohol because they can make the pain worse. When you can eat again, start with clear liquids and then try plain foods like crackers, rice, bananas, or toast. Your doctor might tell you to avoid certain foods.

What Are the 3 Kinds of Stomach Pain?

There are three main types of stomach pain: visceral, parietal, and referred pain. Visceral pain happens when the nerves in your organs’ walls stretch. It is usually not in one specific spot and feels like a dull ache or cramp.

Check Out More: Stomach Pain in the Morning: What Does It Mean and What Can You Do About It?

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