Plenty of fruits fit the high-fiber bill, like bananas, apples, pears, and prunes, but you can also grab a handful of pistachios, almonds, or popcorn; have a chia-seed pudding; or whip up one of these more elaborate snacks, like tahini-stuffed dates or coconut energy balls. Down any of it with a tall glass of water, and keep sipping regularly.
4. Try to relax.
The more relaxed you are, the more at ease your external sphincter will be, which, again, is crucial for farting purposes. Dr. Ganjhu recommends practicing deep breathing exercises because they can relax your entire body and stimulate the GI tract. One approach is the 4-2-6 method: Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for two seconds, and slowly exhale for six seconds. Repeat for 5 to 15 minutes.
If breathing exercises aren’t your thing, you can meditate or just put on some chill music or a low-key podcast. If these relaxation techniques aren’t doing the trick, know that your body (and all its taut anal muscles hoarding gas) fully relaxes when you’re asleep. That is, after all, when you do some of your best farting.
5. Massage your stomach.
This can break up stuck gas and relieve abdominal discomfort, Dr. Ganjhu says. Start with gentle circular pushes around the right, lower side of your belly, near your pelvis bone. Slowly work your hands up toward your rib bones and continue massaging straight across your abdomen and down to the left hip bone. Make your way to your belly button and massage the center of your stomach for a couple of minutes. Repeat until you feel relief. All in all, your massage should last about 10 minutes—but feel free to scale up (or down!) depending on how intense your symptoms are.
6. Consider using medication.
Simethicone, which you can pick up over the counter at a grocery or drugstore, may provide relief when gas is causing pressure and tension across your abdomen. It’s typically used for gas that’s swirling around your upper GI system—like the stomach or small bowel—so it may not be quite as useful for flatulence, according to Dr. Ganjhu, but it’s worth giving it a shot. The lower and deeper your gas is, the longer it’ll take for the medication to work, but, eventually, it will reach the bottom end of your digestive tract and potentially help break up the gas bubbles, Dr. Ganjhu says.
When trapped gas is a sign to check in with your doctor
If none of the above seems to be helping and the discomfort becomes intolerable, it’s worth visiting a health care provider, like your primary care doctor or a GI doctor. According to Dr. Broder, you might be dealing with more intense constipation, as is the case with IBS-C (a type of IBS involving, yes, constipation, plus gas, bloating, and stomach pain); or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which involves an excess of microbes that may release gas in your upper bowel. In rare cases, pent-up gas could also be a sign of a bowel obstruction that’s blocking the air from passing, Dr. Ganjhu notes.
