What is the difference between bloating and water retention

Being sedentary for long periods of time can also cause water retention, which is a common situation for travelers on long airline flight and bedridden patients. Even taking long walks can trigger edema because your muscles generate heat, causing blood vessels to push closer to the skin surface, resulting in swelling.

Water retention can also occur in women who are pregnant or before their menstrual periods. Edema can also be a symptom of a thyroid condition or kidney or heart disease. Certain medications for high blood pressure, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, estrogens and diabetes medications called thiaszolidnediones can cause water retention.

Ask your doctor about all possible side effects when starting a medication, including interactions with food or drink. Seek immediate medical help if you experience unusual symptoms such as prolonged swelling, leg or chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

When bloating occurs in the abdomen, most people experience an uncomfortable feeling of fullness, and the belly may appear swollen and distended. Stomach bloating may be accompanied by other symptoms such as flatulence, belching, stomach gurgling, constipation or nausea.

While common occurrences , the symptoms can be awkward for many individuals. Understanding the causes can help reduce the frequency and discomfort. Freuman recommends taking a photo of your bloated belly and making a note of when symptoms start after eating, their length and severity.

Bring this information to your doctor to discuss what further diagnostic tests may be needed to treat your stomach bloating. Read more: Causes of Upper Abdominal Bloating. Since many foods may affect people's digestive systems differently, keeping a food journal to write down what you ate and how you felt a few hours later can be useful.

If a particular food is irritating your stomach or causing gas, bloating or water retention, consider an elimination diet.

Remove a specific food in question from your diet for a few weeks and track how you feel and if symptoms subside. Too much sodium, or salt, can cause immediate water retention. This is because the body needs to keep its sodium-to-water ratio balanced to function properly, so will hold on to water if too much salt is consumed.

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend no more than 2, milligrams mg of sodium per day. An average American will eat over 3, mg every day. Table salt is very high in sodium, but 75 percent of the sodium people consume is hidden in processed foods. These include cheese, cold meats, bread, frozen meals, soup mixes, and savory snacks.

Natural foods, such as vegetables, nuts, and seeds, are very low in sodium. Some foods can even reduce sodium levels, including bananas , avocados, and leafy vegetables.

While counterintuitive, drinking water can actually reduce water weight. Dehydration can make the body hold on to extra water to make up for lack of incoming water. Water also improves kidney function, allowing excess water and sodium to be flushed out of the system. Adults should drink around 2 liters of water a day. Carbohydrates , or carbs, also cause the body to store extra water. When we eat carbs, the energy that we do not use right away is stored as glycogen molecules.

Each gram g of glycogen comes with 3 g of water attached. Cutting down on carbs is a quick way to use up the glycogen stores, which means that the water weight will also be reduced.

Common carbs include bread, rice, and pasta. Replacing some daily sources of carbs with high-protein foods, such as lean meats, eggs, and soy products, can reduce the buildup of water weight.

Vitamin B-6 and magnesium oxide can be effective natural remedies for fluid retention. These supplements work with the kidneys to help the body flush extra water and sodium from the system.

Studies show that these two supplements are very effective at relieving the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome or PMS, including water retention. They can also reduce abdominal bloating, swelling in the legs, and breast tenderness.

It is best for someone to talk to a doctor before taking new supplements, as they can have side effects or interactions with other medications.

Exercise lets the body sweat out extra water. Hence, the most common sign would be a noticeable increase in the size of your belly bulge over time.

If ignored, belly fat can make your life worse. How can you combat these problems? Now that you know what the real problem is, you can try out these expert-recommended ways to combat the issue:. Twenty kilos down and struggling to maintain the weight loss by preaching healthy eating, while eating unhealthy every now and then.

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