Causes Of Indigestion

For most people, heartburn and indigestion are interchangeable, and if asked they will reply that they either have heartburn or indigestion. However, this is not the case because in reality heartburn and indigestion are not interchangeable. The symptoms and causes of indigestion might be the same, or similar compared to those of heartburn, just as the treatments might also be similar as well. The main difference between the two is that heartburn can sometimes be caused by indigestion, while indigestion can’t be caused by heartburn.

What causes indigestion?

  • Food

The most common cause of indigestion is without a doubt, eating the wrong food. If you suffer from indigestion, then you will know that the first rumblings of indigestion will normally follow after you have finished a meal. In general a large meal will cause an almost immediate onset of indigestion, whilst even a small meal can wreak the same havoc if containing a lot of spicy foods.

Irregular meals can be another cause of indigestion. If you let too much time pass between meals this allows the acid in your stomach to remain un-neutralized for a longer period of time, thereby giving it more time to cause trouble. Regular food intake on the other hand will neutralize the acids for a short period of time, allowing your body some much needed respite.

  • Stress

Many causes of indigestion can be found if you just look hard enough, and high on the list next to food, come the two most common reasons for many complaints: stress and anxiety. In today’s hectic twenty-four hour workday environment, stress and anxiety are very difficult to avoid.

  • Drugs

An additional cause of indigestion which is almost directly connected to stress and anxiety, is the modern tendency to ‘pop a pill’ when you need to keep pushing your body past its limits and it, naturally enough, starts protesting. All those pills we take without a single thought will also take its toll on our body, and give rise to indigestion.
For the more unfortunate person who suffers from arthritis, the anti-inflammatory pills that they are prescribed with, will also probably give rise to indigestion.

  • Ulcers

There is another relatively unknown and also unseen cause for indigestion. It can arise from a peptic ulcer. This occurs when the mucous lining the stomach wall becomes damaged, exposing the stomach wall, and subjecting it to the stomach acids. In this case again stress and anxiety are the two best friends in the causes of indigestion.

  • Pregnancy

For a woman who is pregnant, the chances are higher that she will suffer from indigestion. Unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done about it. Again you should watch your diet closely and wait patiently to give birth to your baby.

As you can see there are different causes of indigestion. It is different for every person suffering from this condition. But in general if you just adjust your lifestyle a bit here and there you have good chances of eliminating or at least lessening indigestion problems in your life.