Digestive Health Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms How to Quickly Ease Stomach Pain From IBS By Barbara Bolen, PhD twitter Barbara Bolen, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and health coach. She has written multiple books focused on living with irritable bowel syndrome. Learn about our editorial process Barbara Bolen, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Andy Miller, MD on December 05, 2018 Andy Miller, MD, is board-certified in infectious disease and internal medicine. He is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, associate attending physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Presbyterian Hospital and a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America. Learn about our Medical Review Board Andy Miller, MD Updated on July 11, 2020 Print Irritable Bowel Syndrome Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Coping Nutrition Finding quick relief is important when you're experiencing stomach pain due to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Even if you're just having a bad tummy day, you may find some comfort in the fact that there are things you can do to soothe and ease your pain. Before we begin, it's important to note that recurrent abdominal pain should be brought to the attention of your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. Also, strong abdominal pain can be an indicator of a serious health condition that needs immediate medical attention. How to Know If Your Stomach Pain Is an Emergency Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin Apply Heat Applying warmth to your belly will not only help soothe you psychologically, but it can also speed up IBS pain relief. Research indicates that the best results are achieved with low-level and continuous heat. There are a variety of ways to apply heat to your abdomen. Your personal preference and where you happen to be will determine which works best for you at the moment: Use a heating pad. Be sure to protect your skin with clothing or a towel.Try a hot water bottle. This is an excellent choice for overnight use.Apply sports creams. Topical pain relievers are a good method of fast pain relief on the go. Sip a Cup of Tea Like a heating pad, there is something soothing about a nice cup of hot tea. Each of the following types of tea has a reputation for easing digestive distress: Peppermint tea is often the best choice for stomach soothing.Chamomile tea can be soothing but is not appropriate for a low-FODMAP diet, which is one that restricts certain types of carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that are poorly absorbed by the small intestine.Anise tea is good for constipation.Fennel tea is also good for constipation, but it is high-FODMAP, as well. Keep your pantry well-stocked and try to have tea bags with you when out and about. Eat Carefully If your belly is hurting due to digestion problems, you won't want to make things worse with food. So, what should you eat? Try foods that are light, healthy, and easy on the stomach. At the same time, try to avoid foods that will cause more stomach discomfort. Foods to Eat Broth Lean protein like chicken, turkey, or pork Lactose-free yogurt Steamed vegetables Foods to Avoid Large, heavy meals Greasy meals Gassy foods High-FODMAP foods Once your pain has eased, you can slowly go back to eating your regular diet. If you have IBS and your stomach pain is chronic, you will want to find a long-term way of eating that helps and doesn't worsen your symptoms. Best Diet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Try an Over-the-Counter Supplement There are a few products available without a prescription that may bring IBS pain relief. It's a good idea to have one of these with you at all times so it's ready when the pain strikes: Peppermint oil has been shown by research to be an antispasmodic. This means that it reduces muscle spasms and cramping, which can ease the pain you're feeling.Gas-relieving products are readily available at stores. If your abdominal pain feels more like trapped gas than cramping, you may find relief by taking a product containing simethicone. Calm Your Mind and Body When we are in pain, we tend to get anxious. Unfortunately, anxiety brings with it a heightened state of physical arousal that can make our pain worse. Taking a few minutes to calm down can be quite effective. Relaxation exercises are a way to break the cycle of anxiety and pain. They offer a way to "turn off" the state of heightened physical arousal. Of course, they work better with regular practice, but can still offer some benefits for immediate pain relief. Three basic types of exercises are visualization, deep breathing, and muscle relaxation. With a little experimentation, you can decide which work best for you. Use Your Imagination Believe it or not, you can soothe your body and promote healing through the use of healing imagery. There is research to support that engaging your imagination can lead to physical changes within your body and lessen your experience of IBS pain. Of course, it will not be as powerful as, say, morphine, but every little bit of pain relief can help. After you have calmed your body with relaxation exercises, stimulate your imagination and conjure up a few soothing pain-relieving images. Here are some possibilities, but feel free to let your imagination soar: Imagine a white healing light coming into your body and swirling all around your belly, healing and soothing your aggravated digestive tract.Imagine that the pain is a hard ball of wax that is slowly melting as you envision a warm, healing heat spread through the area.Imagine that a soft, healing balm is making its way through your colon, serving to cool, soothe, and calm the inflamed tissue. How to Use Guided Imagery for Helping Your IBS Pain Listen to a Hypnotherapy Recording Hypnosis has strong research support for easing the symptoms of IBS, including abdominal pain. Ideally, you want to be engaged in an ongoing hypnotherapy treatment program for best results. But when you are in immediate pain, you may be able to benefit from the relaxation of listening to a gut-directed hypnosis tape. The quickest way is to download an app on your smartphone or other mobile device. There are quite a few IBS-specific hypnotherapy apps available. Yet, it's best to find one that's backed by research, like Nerva. Hypnotherapy as an IBS Treatment Option IBS Doctor Discussion Guide Get our printable guide for your next doctor's appointment to help you ask the right questions. Download PDF Email the Guide Send to yourself or a loved one. Sign Up This Doctor Discussion Guide has been sent to {{form.email}}. There was an error. Please try again. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! One of the most challenging aspects of having IBS is trying to figure out what's safe to eat. Our recipe guide makes it easier. Sign up and get yours now! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Harris LR, Roberts L. Treatments for irritable bowel syndrome: patients' attitudes and acceptability. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2008;8:65. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-8-65 Mckay DL, Blumberg JB. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of peppermint tea (Mentha piperita L.). Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):619-33. doi:10.1002/ptr.1936 Magge S, Lembo A. Low-FODMAP Diet for Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2012;8(11):739-45. Mosaffa-jahromi M, Tamaddon AM, Afsharypuor S, et al. Effectiveness of Anise Oil for Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Randomized Active and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(1):41-46. doi:10.1177/2156587216628374 Foley A, Burgell R, Barrett JS, Gibson PR. Management Strategies for Abdominal Bloating and Distension. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2014;10(9):561-71. De heer EW, Gerrits MM, Beekman AT, et al. The association of depression and anxiety with pain: a study from NESDA. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(10):e106907. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106907 Eriksson EM, Andrén KI, Kurlberg GK, Eriksson HT. Aspects of the non-pharmacological treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2015;21(40):11439-49. doi:10.3748/wjg.v21.i40.11439 Phillips-moore JS, Talley NJ, Jones MP. The mind-body connection in irritable bowel syndrome: A randomised controlled trial of hypnotherapy as a treatment. Health Psychol Open. 2015;2(1):2055102914564583. doi:10.1177/2055102914564583 Lee HH, Choi YY, Choi MG. The Efficacy of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014;20(2):152-62. doi:10.5056/jnm.2014.20.2.152 Roberts L, Wilson S, Singh S, Roalfe A, Greenfield S. Gut-directed hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome: piloting a primary care-based randomised controlled trial. Br J Gen Pract. 2006;56(523):115-21. Additional Reading Gatchel R, Turk, D. Psychological Approaches to Pain Management. 2nd ed. New York, NY: The Guilford Press; 2013. O’Connor A, McCarberg B. A New Look at Heat Treatment for Pain Disorders, Part 2. American Pain Society Bulletin 2005 15. Palsson O. Hypnosis Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Comprehensive Review of the Empirical Evidence. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. 2015;134-58. Royal College of Nursing (UK). Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Adults. 2008.