Trapped gas usually passes on its own, but when it doesn’t, a combination of movement, positioning, and simple at-home techniques can speed things along. Most people can get relief within minutes to a couple of hours using the methods below, depending on where the gas is stuck in the digestive tract.
Move Your Body First
Walking is the simplest and most reliable way to get trapped gas moving. Even a 10 to 15 minute walk helps stimulate the muscles of your intestines, pushing gas toward the exit. If you’re stuck in bed or on the couch, rolling from side to side can achieve a similar effect on a smaller scale.
Specific yoga poses target the abdomen more directly. Wind-Relieving Pose is exactly what it sounds like: lie on your back, bring your knees toward your chest, and use your hands to gently press them down. Hold for several breaths. The compression relaxes your abdomen, hips, and thighs while physically nudging gas through the intestines. Child’s Pose works similarly. Kneel on the floor, sit back on your heels, and fold forward so your torso rests on or between your thighs. The gentle pressure on your belly essentially massages your internal organs. Rest here for five or more slow breaths. A Seated Forward Bend, where you sit with legs extended and fold your torso over them, also improves digestion and relaxes the muscles surrounding your gut.
Try an Abdominal Self-Massage
Your large intestine runs in a specific path: up the right side of your abdomen, across the top, and down the left side. Massaging along this route helps push gas in the direction it naturally travels. Start in your lower right groin area and slide your hand firmly upward toward your ribcage. Then move across the top of your abdomen to the left, and finally press downward along the left side toward your lower left groin. Use firm, deep pressure, as though you’re squeezing toothpaste through a tube. Continue this clockwise loop for about two minutes. You can use one or both hands.
Apply Heat to Your Abdomen
A heating pad or warm water bottle placed on your belly does more than just feel good. Heat dilates blood vessels, increases blood flow to the area, and relaxes the smooth muscles of the intestines. Research from University College London found that heat at or above 40°C (104°F) actually works at the molecular level, disabling pain signals sent to the brain in much the same way a drug would. Place a heating pad on your stomach while lying down or sitting, and combine it with the massage technique above for a one-two approach.
Peppermint Tea or Capsules
Peppermint is one of the better-supported natural options for gas relief. Its active component, menthol, relaxes the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract by blocking calcium channels in the gut wall. This antispasmodic effect helps gas pass through rather than getting trapped in pockets. Brewing a cup of peppermint tea is the easiest approach. For more targeted relief in the lower intestines, enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are designed to dissolve past the stomach so the oil reaches the colon intact. Clinical trials for irritable bowel syndrome have used doses of 0.2 to 0.4 mL of peppermint oil three times daily in this form.
Over-the-Counter Gas Relief
Simethicone is the active ingredient in most gas relief products you’ll find at a pharmacy. It works by breaking large gas bubbles into smaller ones that are easier to pass. The typical adult dose is 40 to 125 mg taken up to four times a day, after meals and at bedtime, with a maximum of 500 mg in 24 hours. If you’re using chewable tablets, chew them thoroughly before swallowing so the medication disperses faster.
You may have also heard about activated charcoal for gas. The evidence here is much weaker. While activated charcoal has proven uses in emergency departments for certain poisonings, its ability to relieve everyday gas and bloating has shown conflicting results in studies. Regular use can cause constipation, reduce nutrient absorption, and lower the effectiveness of other medications you take. It’s also unregulated by the FDA as a supplement. For most people, simethicone is a more reliable and predictable choice.
Stop Swallowing Extra Air
A surprising amount of trapped gas comes not from food fermenting in your gut but from air you swallow without realizing it. This is called aerophagia, and certain everyday habits make it much worse. The biggest culprits: eating too fast, talking while eating, chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, using straws, drinking carbonated beverages, and smoking.
Small adjustments make a real difference. Chew each bite slowly and swallow it completely before taking the next one. Sip drinks from a glass instead of through a straw. Save conversation for after the meal rather than during it. Switch from carbonated drinks to still water or tea. If you chew gum regularly or suck on mints throughout the day, cutting back can noticeably reduce how much gas builds up.
Positions That Help Gas Move
Where gas gets stuck in your colon determines which position works best. Lying on your left side with your knees pulled toward your chest uses gravity to help gas travel from the descending colon toward the rectum. If the gas feels trapped on your right side, try lying on your back with both knees bent and gently rocking them side to side. Some people find that getting into a deep squat, similar to how you might squat during a stretch, opens up the pelvic floor and makes it easier to release gas. You can also try getting on all fours, then dropping your chest toward the ground while keeping your hips elevated, which shifts the angle of your intestines and encourages air to rise toward the exit.
Signs It Might Not Be Gas
Trapped gas on the right side of your abdomen can feel remarkably similar to gallstones or appendicitis. Most of the time, gas pain is temporary and tied to something you recently ate or drank. But certain symptoms alongside the pain point to something more serious: fever, nausea and vomiting, unexplained weight loss, sudden or chronic diarrhea, rectal bleeding, or black tarry stools. Severe abdominal pain that doesn’t resolve, chest pain, or gastrointestinal discomfort unrelated to eating also warrant prompt medical attention. These can signal conditions like a bowel obstruction or, in rare cases, a cardiac event that mimics abdominal pain.