Some different medical bodies have different takes on normal farting frequency, but usually not by much. For instance, according to the Cleveland Clinic, it’s perfectly normal to fart anywhere from 14 to 23 times a day. The Merck Manual puts this number at 13 to 21 times a day. Either way, that’s a lot of farting.
What you eat may influence your farting frequency. According to the NIDDK, certain foods including beans and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts tend to produce more gas than others during digestion. Surprisingly, that catchy song about beans being musical is scientifically accurate for some people.
So, why does lying down after eating seem to make you so gassy?
No matter your physical position, it’s normal to feel gassier after a meal because you swallow more air when you eat and drink, especially if you’re talking. Since swallowed air most often comes back up through your mouth, if you do expel this gas, it will frequently manifest as a burp. (Eating won’t produce an uptick in flatulence right away since it typically takes between six and eight hours for food to make it to the colon where bacteria can work its magic.)
Beyond that, the phenomenon of feeling gassier when lying down post-meal may be based in part on perception, Dr. Lee explains. Going about your busy life can distract you from how your body feels, she says. If you’re lying down and not as active, you can become more aware of your body—and your gas.
Then there’s the actual physics of being horizontal. It may be easier for gas to accumulate into larger, more noticeable pockets when you’re lying down, Dr. Lee says. When you’re upright or moving around, the gravitational pull from your vertical orientation and your constant jostling keep little gas bubbles scattered throughout the GI tract, Dr. Lee says. Those influences aren’t as potent when you’re still and lying down, so those bubbles can become consolidated into larger masses, Dr. Lee explains, making your gas feel more noticeable.
While lying down can make you super in-tune with your gas, it can also make it harder to expel that air. Lying down puts pressure on the anal opening in a way that can make it a little tougher to naturally pass gas, Dr. Lee explains. “It is also harder to burp lying down, as gravity hinders gas traveling up from the stomach to the esophagus,” she says.
Due to this mix of factors, lying down after eating might make you feel like a sentient gas bubble who has to try a little harder than usual to burp or fart.
When is gassiness after a meal a reason to worry?
Although most cases of post-meal gas are completely normal, Dr. Lee recommends checking in with a doctor if this is something new for you, if it’s accompanied by other symptoms (like serious stomach pain, constipation, or diarrhea), or if it just really bothers you.
“If you’ve been OK for years and then started having excessive gas six months ago…something may be going on,” Dr. Lee says.
A few conditions that can cause excessive gas (often in addition to other digestive symptoms such as stomach discomfort or diarrhea) include small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and lactose intolerance. Seeing a medical expert can help you pinpoint the specific cause of your excessive gas if necessary.
What if you’re pretty sure your post-meal gas is just your body doing its thing, but you still want to try to tame your symptoms? Gastroenterologists happen to have a few clutch strategies for getting rid of gas discomfort right this way.
Related:
