“Passing gas” is a part of the digestion process. It is perfectly normal, and everybody does it.
Did you know most people pass gas five to fifteen times a day? If you feel like you’ve got more gas than others, or more than you used to, it might be important to find out what’s causing it. This is especially important if your gas is causing you pain or other discomfort.
Excess upper intestinal gas can result from swallowing more than a usual amount of air, overeating, smoking or chewing gum. Excess lower intestinal gas can be caused by eating too much of certain foods, by the inability to fully digest certain foods or by a disruption in the bacteria normally found in the colon.
Commonly known as farting, passing wind or having gas, flatulence is a medical term for releasing gas from the digestive system through the anus. It occurs when gas collects inside the digestive system, and is a normal process. Gas collects in two main ways. Swallowing air while you eat or drink can cause oxygen and nitrogen to collect in the digestive tract. Second, as you digest food, digestive gases such as hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide collect. Either method can cause flatulence.
It’s natural to swallow air throughout the day, normally during eating and drinking. Typically, the human body only swallows a small amount of air. If you frequently swallow more air, you may find that you experience excessive flatulence. It may also cause burping.
Reasons that you may swallow more air than normal include:
- chewing gum
- smoking
- sucking on objects such as pen tops
- drinking carbonated drinks
- eating too quickly