Managing stomach cramps

Stomach cramps occur when the smooth muscle along the digestive tract, which is responsible for pushing food through the digestive system using wave-like contractions, goes out of balance.

Common triggers such as eating the wrong foods and stressful events can cause the normal wave-like contractions to go in to spasm causing painful abdominal cramps.

You can reduce your chances of having stomach cramps by making some simple self–help lifestyle changes, and you can treat these cramps with anti-spasmodic medication.

Lifestyle changes include:

• Your diet: Your stomach cramps may be caused by certain ‘trigger’ foods, unfortunately this even includes some healthy foods.  Read more >
• Exercise: Regular exercise can be a great form of stress relief and may help calm your gut. Read more >
• Relaxation and stress management: Learning how to manage your stress levels and taking some time out to relax and unwind may also be beneficial for your gut. Read more >
• Passing wind: Not in polite company of course − but if you’re alone you may find it helps to release wind to ease cramps!
• Applying heat: If you don’t have to go out anywhere, cuddling up with a hot water bottle may ease your cramps. The heat blocks pain receptors which in turn helps you relax and ease spasms.