What Is Indigestion? Symptoms, Causes, and Definition
Indigestion, or dyspepsia, is a term used to describe upper stomach pain often after a large meal. It’s usually relieved with an antacid. Occasional indigestion isn’t a problem. But if it keeps coming back, it can indicate an underlying cause such as acid reflux or peptic ulcer disease.
You may notice indigestion after certain foods, taking certain medications, or due to a medical condition. Thankfully, there are plenty of treatments and lifestyle changes that can reduce your indigestion symptoms.
What Is Indigestion?
Indigestion is pain or discomfort that occurs after eating. The medical term, dyspepsia, literally means bad digestion. People often complain about:
Pain, burning, or discomfort in the upper abdomen
Feeling full unusually quickly while eating
Feeling uncomfortably bloated or heavy after a meal
It’s estimated to affect around 40% of people in the UK annually. The pain is located just under your ribs or higher in your chest and can be exacerbated by eating fatty or spicy foods or drinking alcohol or coffee.
Indigestion shouldn’t be confused with heartburn. Though they’re related, heartburn is a burning sensation in the middle of your chest, sometimes accompanied by a sour or bitter taste in your throat and mouth. It’s caused by acid reflux.
Indigestion Symptoms
Indigestion always involves burning or discomfort in your upper stomach. Think of the feeling of being too full for too long after eating. Other indigestion symptoms include:
Upper abdominal pain or burning
Early fullness during meals
Uncomfortable fullness after eating
Bloating
Nausea
Excessive burping (belching)
Acidic taste in the mouth
Mild vomiting
Due to similar causes, indigestion and heartburn can occur at the same time — it’s quite common. This means the symptoms can become blurred.
What Causes Indigestion?
There isn’t a single cause of indigestion. For most people, it’s a combination of lifestyle factors, medication, and underlying medical conditions.
Lifestyle
Indigestion occurs because the body cannot digest food as it normally would. This leads to irritation of the stomach lining, slowed digestion, and stretching of the stomach wall.
Spicy, greasy, and fatty foods are common culprits. Not only do they slow stomach emptying, but they also trigger increased acid production, irritating the stomach lining.
Other lifestyle factors include smoking, excess alcohol consumption, and stress.
Medication
Certain medications can irritate your stomach lining. This increases the risk of indigestion. It’s a common side effect of these medications:
NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin)
Corticosteroids (prednisolone)
Iron supplements
Certain antibiotics (e.g., doxycycline)
Bisphosphonates (e.g., alendronic acid)
Speak to your doctor about changing your dose or switching to another medication if you’re experiencing these symptoms.
Medical Conditions
The underlying cause isn’t always so benign. While indigestion is a common symptom, if persistent, it can indicate a medical cause. Potential causes include:
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD/GERD)
Peptic ulcers
Gastritis
Gallstones
Hiatus hernia
Lactose, gluten, and other intolerances
Gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying)
Less commonly, indigestion is associated with gastric cancer or pancreatic duct abnormalities. Usually, you’ll notice other symptoms.
Sometimes, indigestion occurs persistently without any identifiable cause. This is known as functional dyspepsia.
How to Cure Indigestion
Your doctor will likely take a full medical history and perform an examination to determine the underlying cause. Most likely, they’ll advise on some lifestyle changes or switch your medication.
If the symptoms persist despite these changes, they may request several investigations:
Stomach X-ray. To see if there are any abnormalities with your digestive tract.
Endoscopy. A small tube with a camera is threaded down your food pipe to identify any issues and take a biopsy.
Blood, breath, and stool tests. To identify if certain bacteria or too many bacteria are present (a potential cause of peptic ulcers).
If your indigestion does have any underlying causes, your doctor will recommend specific treatment. Medications that specifically assist with indigestion include proton pump inhibitors (e.g. omeprazole) or H2 receptor antagonists (e.g., ranitidine), which both reduce stomach acid production.
How to Prevent Indigestion
For most people, indigestion is entirely preventable. The majority of cases are caused by lifestyle factors. Therefore, changing your lifestyle can reduce or even prevent indigestion.
Follow these tips:
Maintain a healthy weight
Avoid foods that trigger your heartburn
Limit coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol
Eat slowly and chew thoroughly
Avoid lying down soon after eating
Stop smoking (if you smoke)
Reduce stress with relaxation techniques such as yoga
It’s smart to keep track of the foods that trigger your indigestion. Some common trigger foods and drinks include fatty and fried foods, spicy foods, alcohol, fizzy drinks, caffeine, onions, peppermint, and chocolate.
Get Your Indigestion Sorted
Indigestion doesn’t have to be a part of your life.
If you’re experiencing frequent attacks no matter what you do, it’s time to take control. The Functional Gut Clinic are experts in diagnosing gastrointestinal symptoms, including indigestion. Learn more about our services and other regurgitation-related symptoms.
