Most stomach aches respond well to a combination of simple home remedies, and the best approach depends on what’s causing your discomfort. Gas and bloating call for different strategies than nausea or acid-related pain. Here’s what actually works, organized by the type of relief you’re looking for.
Heat and Rest Come First
A heating pad or hot water bottle placed on your abdomen is one of the simplest and most effective first steps. The warmth relaxes the smooth muscles in your gut and helps trapped gas move through your intestines. Lie down or sit in a comfortable position and apply heat for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. This works especially well for cramping, bloating, and menstrual-related stomach pain.
Ginger and Peppermint for Nausea and Cramping
Ginger is one of the most reliable natural remedies for nausea and general stomach upset. The simplest way to use it is as a tea: peel a piece of fresh ginger, cut it into thin slices, place a few in a mug, pour boiling water over them, and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Experts at Johns Hopkins recommend getting ginger from food and beverages rather than supplements, since high-dose ginger pills may increase the risk of bleeding and can contain unlisted ingredients.
Peppermint is particularly good for cramping and bloating. It works by relaxing the smooth muscle in your digestive tract, which calms spasms and lets gas pass more easily. In clinical trials, 79% of people taking peppermint oil capsules saw a reduction in abdominal pain severity, compared to 43% on a placebo. Bloating improved even more dramatically, with 83% of treated patients reporting less abdominal distension versus 29% of controls. Peppermint tea is a gentler option than capsules and a good starting point for mild discomfort.
Over-the-Counter Options by Symptom
The right medication depends entirely on what type of stomach ache you’re dealing with.
For gas and bloating: Products containing simethicone (like Gas-X) work by reducing the surface tension of gas bubbles in your stomach and intestines. This lets small, trapped bubbles merge into larger ones that are easier for your body to expel. Simethicone isn’t absorbed into your bloodstream, so it has very few side effects.
For heartburn or acid-related pain: Antacids like Tums or Rolaids neutralize stomach acid quickly and work within minutes. If you get heartburn regularly, H2 blockers last about eight hours and are good for occasional or nighttime symptoms. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provide longer-lasting relief, reducing acid production for 15 to 21 hours, but they can take up to four days to reach full effect and should be taken 30 to 60 minutes before eating.
For nausea and diarrhea: Bismuth-based products (like Pepto-Bismol) can help with both. However, these products contain a compound related to aspirin and should not be given to children or teenagers who have or are recovering from the flu, chickenpox, or other viral infections due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome. They’re also off-limits for anyone with an aspirin allergy, bleeding problems, or ulcers.
What to Eat and Drink
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), and it’s a reasonable starting point for the first day or two of stomach flu, food poisoning, or traveler’s diarrhea. But there’s no need to limit yourself to just those four foods. Brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereal are equally easy to digest. As Harvard Health notes, no studies have actually compared the BRAT diet to other approaches.
Once your stomach starts settling, add foods that are still gentle but more nutritious: cooked squash, carrots, skinless chicken, fish, eggs, and avocado. These give your body the protein and nutrients it needs to recover, which a strict BRAT diet doesn’t provide.
Staying hydrated matters more than what you eat, especially if you’ve been vomiting or have diarrhea. Plain water is fine for mild stomach aches, but if you’re losing fluids quickly, you need to replace electrolytes too. You can make a simple oral rehydration solution at home: mix 4 cups of water with half a teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Another option is adding half a teaspoon of salt to 4 cups of a low-sugar sports drink. Chicken broth with a little added sugar also works well and may be easier to keep down.
Probiotics for Recurring Issues
If stomach aches are a regular part of your life, particularly with symptoms like bloating, irregular bowel habits, or cramping, probiotics may help over time. A systematic review published in The Lancet identified several specific strains that reduced abdominal pain in people with irritable bowel syndrome. Probiotics aren’t a quick fix for an acute stomach ache, though. They work by gradually shifting the balance of bacteria in your gut, which typically takes weeks of consistent use.
When a Stomach Ache Needs Attention
Most stomach aches are harmless and resolve on their own within a few hours. But certain patterns signal something more serious. Severe pain that doesn’t let up, especially if it’s concentrated in one specific area, needs prompt evaluation. A rigid or distended abdomen, vomiting that looks green or contains blood, black or bloody stools, fever alongside abdominal pain, or fainting are all reasons to seek care right away.
Pain that follows abdominal trauma, pain with groin swelling, or stomach aches in someone over 50 who has never experienced this type of discomfort before also warrant a closer look. If your stomach ache is mild but keeps coming back over weeks, that’s worth bringing up with your doctor too, since recurring pain can point to conditions like ulcers, gallstones, or food intolerances that have straightforward treatments once identified.