Bloating

Bloating is one of the most common digestive symptoms — and one of the most multi-layered. It’s not always about what you eat; it’s often about how your gut is functioning.

Why Bloating Happens

Bloating can be driven by:

• trapped gas from fermentation

• slowed motility

• low stomach acid

• dysbiosis or SIBO

• inflammation

• food sensitivities

• hormone shifts

• stress or nervous-system activation

• tension in the diaphragm / core

• post-infectious changes

Bloating is rarely just a “food problem.”
It’s a sign that something deeper needs support.

Different Bloating Patterns

Each tells us something different:

• Morning bloating → often motility or constipation

• After meals → enzyme/acid insufficiency, SIBO, dysbiosis

• Evening bloating → fermentation + slow transit

• Cyclical bloating → hormone shifts (e.g., PMS, perimenopause)

• Random bloating → stress + nervous system patterns

Patterns are more diagnostic than the bloating itself.

The Stress & Gut Link

Studies show that when the nervous system is in fight, flight, freeze or shutdown, digestion slows by up to 50%, increasing gas, sensitivity and distention.

This is why bloating can feel worse on stressful or emotional days — even if your diet is identical.

Supporting Bloating Long-Term

Sustainable relief usually includes:

• improving stomach acid + enzyme function

• supporting gut motility

• balancing the microbiome

• reducing inflammation

• identifying true sensitivities

• restoring confidence around food

• regulating the gut–brain reflex

• releasing chronic tension patterns

Bloating always has a cause — and understanding the pattern is the first step.