Are You Burping Too Much? Why It Happens and How to Find Relief

What Can Cause Excessive Burping?

You may also notice more burps after certain activities, like running, or if you have an underlying condition.

Swallowing Air

While swallowing some air is normal and helps digestion, swallowing too much air (as you may do when talking while eating) can cause it to collect in your gut. This, in turn, may cause burping and other symptoms like bloating, gas pain, or flatulence.

Habits that increase your likelihood of swallowing air include eating or drinking too fast, using straws or sports bottles, talking while eating, smoking or vaping, drinking carbonated drinks, and chewing gum, says Leybelis Padilla, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist based in San Diego.

Certain Foods and Drinks

Chewing gum and carbonated beverages aren’t the only foods and drinks that may cause frequent belching, Curtin says.

Gut bacteria ferment what your body can’t fully digest, including high-fiber foods like beans and lentils. These release gases during digestion such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane that can cause burping.

Other foods and beverages that may increase gas production in some people include dairy products (especially for those with lactose intolerance) and eggs.

Additional examples include:

Peas, lentils, and beans
Vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, onions, peas, and radishes
Fruits like apricots, bananas, peaches, pears, and apples
Wheat
Fried and fatty foods
Sugar and sugar substitutes
Milk and other dairy products (in those with trouble digesting lactose)

GERD

Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who have a lax lower esophageal sphincter, a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus, may be more likely to also have gastric belching, says Rena Yadlapati, MD, the medical director of the Center for Esophageal Diseases at UC San Diego Health.

“In these cases, patients may commonly experience regurgitation and belching,” Dr. Yadlapati says.

GERD is a condition in which the stomach’s contents move into the esophagus, commonly causing heartburn and sensation of regurgitation.

While almost everyone experiences the occasional bout of heartburn, it doesn’t automatically mean you have GERD that needs treatment, which is chronic acid reflux (think at least twice per week for several weeks).

GERD can sometimes lead to extra burping due to increased air swallowing, though it is not considered a typical symptom.

This excess swallowing can be due to supragastric belching, a behavioral pattern in which people swallow air and expel it. GERD patients may do this in response to discomfort, Yadlapati says.

Hiatal Hernia

Hiatal hernias, which occur when the upper stomach protrudes through the diaphragm that divides your abdomen and the chest, can also cause excessive burping. Although a small one usually goes unnoticed, a larger hiatal hernia can cause food and acid to back up in your esophagus, leading to heartburn and other symptoms, such as regurgitation, trouble swallowing, or acid reflux.

“Often heartburn-related symptoms can be caused by the presence of a hiatal hernia, which can lead to excessive burping by nature of the altered anatomy and impaired relaxation of the stomach,” Dr. Padilla says.

Gastric Ulcers

Stomach ulcers can cause the sensation of indigestion, which can rarely lead to burping as a behavioral response.

Other more typical symptoms of stomach ulcers include pain or discomfort between your belly button and sternum, and discomfort with or without eating.

Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis, a chronic condition in which your stomach empties food too slowly or not at all, may be another potential cause of excessive burping, Padilla says. Additional, more typical symptoms can include nausea and vomiting after eating and feeling full even with smaller meals.

There are many causes of gastroparesis. It’s sometimes linked to diabetes or occurs after a surgery or viral illness, because of damage to the vagus nerve (which controls the stomach muscles).