Most stomach aches resolve on their own within a few hours, and simple remedies at home can speed that along. What works best depends on the type of discomfort you’re dealing with: bloating and gas, nausea, cramping, or diarrhea each respond to slightly different approaches. Here’s what actually helps.
Heat Relaxes Cramping Fast
A heating pad or hot water bottle placed on your abdomen is one of the simplest and most effective ways to ease stomach pain, especially if cramping is the main issue. Heat reduces muscle stiffness, increases tissue elasticity, and relaxes the smooth muscle of your gut wall. This is why it works so well for menstrual cramps, but the same principle applies to general abdominal cramping and spasms.
Use a moderate temperature (warm, not scalding) and keep it on your belly for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. A warm bath works similarly if you don’t have a heating pad handy.
What to Eat (and Avoid) With an Upset Stomach
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. 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. The real goal is eating bland, easy-to-digest foods that won’t irritate your gut further.
Bananas and apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that binds excess water in the intestines and helps firm up loose stools. Bananas also replenish potassium, a mineral you lose quickly during diarrhea or vomiting. Plain white rice is rich in starch that converts to soluble fiber during digestion, which has a similar stool-firming effect.
Beyond BRAT, good options include brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereals. These are all easy on the stomach while also providing protein and other nutrients your body needs to recover. Avoid greasy, spicy, or highly acidic foods until you’re feeling better. Dairy can also be hard to tolerate during a bout of stomach trouble.
Stay hydrated. Small, frequent sips of water, diluted juice, or an electrolyte drink work better than gulping large amounts at once, which can trigger nausea.
Peppermint for Bloating and Pressure
Peppermint oil relaxes the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract, which can relieve that uncomfortable feeling of fullness, bloating, and abdominal pressure. It works by calming the involuntary muscle contractions that push food through your gut, essentially telling your digestive system to stop squeezing so hard.
Peppermint tea is the easiest way to get this benefit. If you use peppermint oil capsules, look for enteric-coated versions, which dissolve in the intestine rather than the stomach. This matters because peppermint also relaxes the valve between your stomach and esophagus, which can actually worsen heartburn in some people. If acid reflux is your problem, skip peppermint entirely.
Over-the-Counter Options That Work
The right OTC remedy depends on your symptoms:
- Gas and bloating: Simethicone (sold as Gas-X or similar brands) works by combining small gas bubbles in your gut into larger ones that are easier to pass. It typically starts working within 30 minutes and is very well tolerated since it isn’t absorbed into your bloodstream.
- Heartburn or acid reflux: Antacids neutralize stomach acid quickly. For more persistent reflux, acid reducers that lower acid production last longer.
- Nausea: Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) coats the stomach lining and can calm nausea, mild diarrhea, and general indigestion.
- Diarrhea: Loperamide (Imodium) slows gut motility and can help when you need short-term relief. Avoid it if you have a fever or bloody stools, as slowing things down in those cases can do more harm than good.
Probiotics Can Shorten Diarrhea
If your stomach ache comes with diarrhea, probiotics are worth considering. A large Cochrane review found that probiotics reduced the average duration of diarrhea by about 30 hours and lowered the risk of diarrhea lasting beyond three days by roughly a third. The most effective strains in clinical trials included Lactobacillus rhamnosus (often labeled LGG) and Lactobacillus reuteri, both widely available in supplement form and in some yogurts.
Probiotics work best when started early in a bout of stomach illness. They’re not a cure, but shaving a day or more off your symptoms is a meaningful difference when you’re miserable.
Sleep Position Matters for Acid-Related Pain
If your stomach ache is worse when you lie down, acid reflux is likely part of the problem. Sleeping on your right side tends to make heartburn worse, while sleeping on your left side reduces it. This happens because of how your stomach is positioned in your abdomen: lying on the left keeps the junction between your stomach and esophagus above the level of stomach acid, making it harder for acid to creep upward.
Propping your head and upper body up with an extra pillow or a wedge can also help. Lying flat allows acid to flow freely toward your throat, so even a modest incline makes a difference.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger has a long track record for settling nausea. It speeds up the rate at which your stomach empties into the small intestine, which can relieve that heavy, queasy feeling. Ginger tea, ginger chews, or even flat ginger ale (let it go flat first, since carbonation can add to bloating) are all reasonable options. Start with small amounts, as too much ginger on an empty stomach can cause its own mild burning sensation.
When Stomach Pain Needs Urgent Attention
Most stomach aches are harmless, but certain patterns signal something serious. Seek immediate care if your pain is sudden and excruciating, especially if it came on all at once rather than building gradually. Pain that gets dramatically worse when you cough, tap your heel on the ground, or press and release your abdomen suggests irritation of the abdominal lining, which can indicate a perforated organ or another surgical emergency.
Other warning signs include a fever combined with severe abdominal pain, a rapid heartbeat, dizziness or fainting, vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, or black tarry stools. Abdominal pain that feels completely out of proportion to what you’d expect, or that comes with a rigid, board-like belly, needs evaluation right away.