Most stomach aches resolve on their own within a few hours, and simple home remedies can speed that process along. The right approach depends on what’s causing the discomfort: gas and bloating respond to movement and heat, nausea improves with ginger or pressure-point techniques, and an upset stomach from food needs rest and gentle hydration. Here’s what actually works.
Apply Heat to Your Stomach
A heating pad or hot water bottle placed on your abdomen relaxes the muscles of your digestive tract, which reduces cramping and pain. Keep it on for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, with a thin layer of fabric between the heat source and your skin. This works particularly well for menstrual cramps, gas pain, and general abdominal tension. If you don’t have a heating pad, a warm towel or a sock filled with uncooked rice and microwaved for about a minute works just as well.
Try Peppermint or Ginger
Peppermint oil is one of the better-studied natural remedies for stomach pain. It works by reducing calcium flow into the smooth muscle cells lining your digestive tract, which causes those muscles to relax. That’s the same basic mechanism as some prescription antispasmodic drugs. You can sip peppermint tea, suck on a peppermint candy, or take enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules if you deal with stomach cramps regularly. Avoid peppermint if your pain is from acid reflux, though, since it relaxes the valve at the top of your stomach and can make heartburn worse.
Ginger is especially effective for nausea. Fresh ginger sliced into hot water, ginger chews, or flat ginger ale can all help settle your stomach. Start with a small amount, since too much ginger on an empty stomach can cause its own irritation.
Use a Pressure Point for Nausea
If nausea is the main problem, pressing firmly on a spot called P6 on the inside of your wrist can help. To find it, place three fingers flat across the inside of your wrist, starting just below the crease where your hand meets your arm. Just below where your third finger lands, feel for the groove between the two large tendons that run down your wrist. Press firmly with your thumb for one to two minutes. It shouldn’t hurt. This technique has enough evidence behind it that pharmacies sell acupressure wristbands designed to apply continuous pressure on this exact point.
Move Your Body to Release Gas
If bloating or trapped gas is causing the pain, gentle movement helps your digestive system push things through. Even a short walk can make a difference. Specific positions are especially effective at releasing gas:
- Knee-to-chest: Lie on your back, bend your knees, and pull them toward your chest while tucking your chin down. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute.
- Child’s pose: Kneel on the floor, then sit back onto your heels and stretch your arms forward along the ground, letting your forehead rest on the floor. This relaxes the hips and lower back, helping gas move through the bowels.
- Happy baby: Lie on your back, lift your knees to the sides of your body, and grab the soles of your feet with your hands. Gently rock side to side.
- Deep squat: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and lower into a flat-footed squat. Hold for as long as comfortable.
Gently massaging your stomach in a clockwise direction (following the path of your large intestine) can also help move trapped gas along.
Stay Hydrated the Right Way
If your stomach ache comes with vomiting or diarrhea, dehydration becomes the biggest concern. Sip fluids slowly rather than gulping them. Water is fine for mild cases, but if you’ve been vomiting or having diarrhea for more than a few hours, you’re losing electrolytes that plain water won’t replace. An oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte contains a balanced mix of sodium, potassium, and glucose designed to help your body absorb fluid efficiently. Sports drinks work in a pinch but contain more sugar than is ideal.
Avoid coffee, alcohol, and carbonated drinks until your stomach settles. These can all irritate an already sensitive digestive tract.
Eat Bland Foods When You’re Ready
You don’t need to force yourself to eat, but when hunger returns, start with foods that are soft, low in fiber, and not spicy. Good options include bananas, applesauce, plain toast made with white bread, broth-based soup, plain crackers, eggs, potatoes, and lean poultry. Eat small portions and chew slowly.
Skip raw vegetables, fried or greasy foods, whole grains, nuts, seeds, strong cheeses, spicy seasonings, and anything high in sugar until you feel fully recovered. These are harder for your stomach to process and can trigger a relapse. Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day is easier on your system than sitting down to three large ones.
Over-the-Counter Options
The right product depends on the symptom. Products containing bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) work by forming a protective coating in your stomach and gut lining. They’re useful for indigestion, heartburn, nausea, and diarrhea. However, these products should not be given to children under 12, and they should be avoided in children or teenagers recovering from the flu or chickenpox due to a rare but serious risk of Reye’s syndrome.
For gas and bloating specifically, simethicone (found in Gas-X) breaks up gas bubbles in your digestive tract. It doesn’t get absorbed into your body, so side effects are minimal. For diarrhea without other symptoms, loperamide (Imodium) slows down intestinal movement. Antacids work best when the pain feels like burning or is concentrated in your upper stomach, since they neutralize excess acid.
Probiotics for Recurring Pain
If stomach aches are a regular problem for you, certain probiotic strains may help over time. A large review published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine found that four specific probiotics significantly reduced abdominal pain in people with irritable bowel symptoms. The yeast-based probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii was among the most effective. Probiotics aren’t a quick fix for an acute stomach ache, but taking them consistently over several weeks can reduce how often pain occurs and how severe it gets.
When Stomach Pain Needs Urgent Attention
Most stomach aches are harmless, but certain patterns signal something more serious. Pay attention if pain is so severe it interrupts your ability to function, if you’re vomiting and can’t keep any liquids down, or if you’re completely unable to pass gas or have a bowel movement alongside severe pain.
Location matters too. Pain that starts near your belly button and migrates to your lower right side is a classic sign of appendicitis. Sharp, sudden cramping in the lower abdomen could point to kidney stones. Upper abdominal pain with fever may indicate pancreatitis. If you’ve had recent abdominal surgery and develop new pain, or if your current pain feels different from stomach aches you’ve experienced before, those are reasons to seek care promptly rather than waiting it out.