What Is Bloating and What Can Help?
Most of us have felt it at some point - that uncomfortable, tight, swollen sensation in the tummy, like your abdomen is puffing up like a balloon.
Bloating is one most frustrating symptoms my clients experience. For some people, bloating is occasional. For those with IBS, it can be a daily battle. But what exactly causes bloating? Why does it sometimes only show up on one side of the tummy? And why can it feel worse during your period or when you have back pain?
These are some of the most common questions I hear from clients, so I wanted to dedicate this blog to answering these questions, and offering support that goes beyond surface-level solutions.
What Is Bloating?
Bloating is a feeling of fullness, tightness, or distension in the abdomen. It can be caused by:
Trapped gas in the gut
Sometimes gas produced during digestion or fermentation gets stuck in the intestines instead of passing out easily. This can cause that uncomfortable feeling of fullness, pressure, or visible swelling. Gas may be produced when gut bacteria break down certain foods.
Delayed gut motility (sluggish digestion)
Motility is how well your gut moves food through your digestive system. When it slows down, food and gas can linger longer than usual, increasing the chance of bloating and discomfort. Stress, diet, or nervous system issues can slow motility.
Food intolerances or fermentation
Some people react to specific foods that ferment in the gut, especially fermentable carbohydrates called FODMAPs. These fermentable carbs feed gut bacteria, which release gas as a byproduct, leading to bloating.
Hormonal changes
Fluctuations in hormones during a woman’s menstrual cycle, perimenopause, or pregnancy, can affect digestion and gut sensitivity. For example, progesterone tends to slow gut motility, which can worsen bloating, especially around your period.
Visceral hypersensitivity (heightened nerve awareness in the gut)
People with IBS often have a more sensitive gut nervous system, meaning they feel sensations like gas or fullness more intensely. This increased nerve awareness can make normal amounts of gas or digestion feel painful or uncomfortable.
Structural issues (like adhesions or pelvic alignment)
Sometimes physical factors like internal scar tissue (adhesions) or misalignment in the pelvis can affect how your gut moves and functions, potentially causing localised bloating or discomfort, especially if combined with other gut issues.
It’s not always due to actual swelling or gas - sometimes the gut is simply more sensitive, meaning even normal levels of gas or food can feel intensely uncomfortable.
Why Is It Sometimes Only on One Side?
This is surprisingly common, and here's why:
1. Gut Imbalances or Gas Pockets
The large intestine loops around your abdomen, with the ascending colon on the right and the descending colon on the left. If fermentation or gas builds up in one part of the bowel, it can lead to one-sided bloating or cramping.
For example, excess methane gas (often seen in methane-dominant small intestinal bacteria overgrowth - A.K.A SIBO) can get trapped in the right side and cause a heavy or swollen feeling under the ribs.
2. Pelvic or Muscular Imbalances
Tension in the pelvic floor or abdominal wall (from posture, past injuries, or chronic guarding) can compress or pull on the gut unequally, leading to discomfort more on one side.
3. Adhesions or Structural Causes
If you've had surgery, C-sections, or endometriosis, scar tissue can cause tethering in parts of the abdomen, leading to one-sided fullness or tugging sensations as the bowel moves.
Why Is Bloating Worse Around Period Pain or Back Pain?
No you’re not imagining it, bloating can be triggered by other pain in that region of the body. This is because there’s a strong link between hormones, nerves, and the gut, and this is how they affect you:
1. Shared Nerve Pathways
Your reproductive organs and digestive tract share nerve routes through the pelvis and lower back. When you have menstrual cramps or back pain, the brain can interpret that discomfort as coming from your gut too, making bloating and sensitivity worse.
This is called viscero-somatic amplification: when one organ is inflamed or painful, nearby systems get more reactive too.
2. Hormonal Changes
In the lead-up to your period, rising progesterone can slow digestion, leading to:
Constipation
Gas build-up
Bloating
Water retention
Then, during your period, prostaglandins (inflammatory hormone-like chemicals) increase cramping and inflammation, which can intensify bloating and gut pain.
3. Pelvic Congestion
Low blood flow and lymphatic stagnation in the pelvis (common in chronic pain or people who sit a lot) can cause heaviness, fullness, and bloating, especially when combined with hormonal shifts.
What Can Help And Why
When it comes to bloating, there’s no one-size-fits-all fix. That’s why I recommend a holistic approach - one that considers your gut, nervous system, hormones, posture and emotions.
Here are key areas we work with in my practice, and why they help:
1. Nourish Without Overwhelming: Tailored Nutrition & the Low FODMAP Diet
A balanced approach to nutrition can go a long way in managing bloating. I often start with practical dietary adjustments:
Be mindful of high-fat meals, which slow down gut motility.
Watch for high salt intake, which can lead to water retention and potentially impact the gut microbiome.
Limit artificial sweeteners like sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, which are commonly found in sugar-free gum and sweets - these can ferment in the colon and produce gas.
Reduce carbonated drinks, which can increase gas in the bowel.
Avoid swallowing air by sipping instead of gulping drinks and avoiding drinking through straws or bottles.
Consider reducing alcohol, which may irritate the gut lining and affect motility.
In addition, many people with IBS-type bloating react to fermentable carbohydrates known as FODMAPs. These are natural sugars that feed gut bacteria, but in sensitive guts, they can cause gas, distension, and cramping. The low FODMAP diet, developed by Monash University, is one of the most researched dietary strategies for IBS. A systematic review found it effective in significantly reducing bloating, with symptom relief reported by 50–80% of IBS patients (Staudacher et al., 2011; Marsh et al., 2016).
In my practice, I never promote long-term restriction, but I do use the low FODMAP to help people establish what their triggers are, and give gut-nourishing guidance, like gentle prebiotics, rich plant-based foods, and probiotics (if appropriate) to support long term gut-health and a healthy microbiome. I also integrate mindful eating practices, and support my clients to reintroduce gut-healthy foods into their diet.
Tools I use:
Tailored Low FODMAP guidance, where appropriate
Guidance on reintroducing foods, without fear
Gentle, mindful eating and intuitive eating approaches, alongside structure
2. Retrain the Gut-Brain Axis: Hypnotherapy for IBS Relief
Stress, anxiety, and past gut trauma can heighten gut sensitivity. Gut-directed hypnotherapy helps improve the communication loop between your brain and digestive system. This evidence-based therapy reduces visceral hypersensitivity and has been shown to improve bloating, pain, and overall IBS symptoms (Flik et al., 2019; Miller & Whorwell, 2009). In my practice, I use hypnotherapy not just for symptom relief, but to rebuild trust in the body and reduce the fear that often surrounds food and digestion.
Tools I use:
CBT-informed hypnotherapy to address unhelpful thought patterns
Symptom-focused audio recordings for at-home practice
Visualisation tools to reframe digestive symptoms
3. Soothe the System: Nervous System Tools to Release Gut Tension
When your body is stuck in “fight or flight” mode, digestion slows, the gut can become sensitive, and even light meals can feel uncomfortable. Calming the nervous system can have a direct, physical impact on bloating. Activating the vagus nerve through breath, mindfulness, and body-based therapies improves gut motility, reduces inflammation, and calms overactive gut signals (Breit et al., 2018). Using tools I have learnt from Yoga, I help clients reconnect with safety in their bodies and regulate their stress responses.
Tools I use:
Breathwork practices to support vagal tone
Somatic mindfulness techniques like body scans and mindful movement
Psychoeducation around the gut-brain-nervous system link
In Summary…
Bloating is a common and distressing symptom of IBS caused by a mix of factors including trapped gas, sluggish digestion, food intolerances, hormonal fluctuations, heightened gut nerve sensitivity, and sometimes structural issues like adhesions.
Effective relief often requires a holistic approach: tailored nutrition to support the digestive system, gut-directed hypnotherapy to improve the gut-brain communication, and nervous system therapies including breathwork, mindfulness, and CBT to ease tension and shift unhelpful thought patterns. Supporting the gut and nervous system together can help reduce bloating and improve quality of life.
If this resonates with you, please get in touch to explore how we can work together, or download the FREE gut-directed hypnotherapy here to try it out: “Releasing Bloating with Balloon Breath”
Reference List
Staudacher, H. M., Whelan, K., Irving, P. M., & Lomer, M. C. E. (2011). Comparison of symptom response following advice for a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) versus standard dietary advice in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 24(5), 487–495. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-277X.2011.01162.x
Marsh, A., Eslick, E. M., & Eslick, G. D. (2016). Does a diet low in FODMAPs reduce symptoms associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders? A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Nutrition, 55(3), 897–906. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0922-1
Flik, C. E., van Rood, Y. R., de Wit, N. J., van Goor, H., & Olde Hartman, T. C. (2019). Systematic review: Hypnotherapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders—an updated evidence-based analysis. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 50(5), 580–592. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15397
Miller, V., & Whorwell, P. J. (2009). Hypnotherapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders: a review. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 57(3), 279–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207140902881221
Breit, S., Kupferberg, A., Rogler, G., & Hasler, G. (2018). Vagus nerve as modulator of the brain–gut axis in psychiatric and inflammatory disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 44. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044
Porges, S. W. (2007). The polyvagal perspective. Biological Psychology, 74(2), 116–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.06.009
