It could be dysmotility.

If you often experience an overfull, heavy bloated stomach or feel queasy after you’ve eaten, your symptoms may be caused by dysmotility. This is when your stomach's normal digestive action slows and becomes unco-ordinated, meaning that food can sit in your stomach for too long leading to uncomfortable queasy, full, heavy bloated stomach symptoms. Clinical evidence shows that up to 57%* of us who suffer some sort of stomach discomfort may actually have dysmotility. That’s around 10 million people.

Although dysmotility is not serious, if you’re a sufferer you’ll know how fed up or lethargic you can feel when your stomach feels so uncomfortable. It can probably preoccupy you so much that you don’t focus properly on your daily routine. Or, you may even start to avoid social situations which you know involve eating.

But dysmotility can be an easily treatable condition, so you no longer have to feel it’s controlling you. In this section we’ll explain why it happens; we’ll also suggest ways of treating it and explain how you can try to avoid it altogether. Simply click on the links on the right.

^* Source: Grainger SL et al Post Med. Journal (1994) 70, 154-161

There are five main symptoms associated with dysmotility.

• you feel sick or queasy after a meal
• it’s just like you have a brick sitting in your stomach
• you feel really full and bloated - sometimes even when you haven't eaten a great deal
• your stomach is generally uncomfortable and may have a dull ache
• you may belch a lot

If you are a dysmotility sufferer, you may experience one or several of these symptoms. Read on to find out what’s happening, what causes it, and how you can treat it.

Dysmotility is a technical term which means 'slow or unco-ordinated movement'. When you have dysmotility, it means your stomach takes too long to empty. So, instead of the food moving down to your intestines to continue the digestive process, it just sits there. As a result, you can feel queasy and/or have a heavy, bloated stomach. It's just like you've eaten a big Christmas dinner - but you most probably have only eaten normally. Sometimes, in bad cases, the stomach’s normal churning process can almost go into reverse. This forces the food back up, making you feel even more nauseous - or even sick.

Generally, the key reason you will suffer from dysmotility is because of what you eat or the way you eat. Nowadays, our lifestyles mean we don’t always have time for properly balanced meals at set times of the day - in fact only 36%* of us eat three regular meals a day. Confused eating habits can mean your stomach isn’t able to keep up and, as a result, it has difficulty digesting food.

^* Pace of Life Survey - the Survey Shop 1999

• Fatty and heavy or rich foods. These are more difficult for your stomach to process, slowing its normal digestive rhythm down
• Drinking too much alcohol, as this can slow down the stomach’s processing powers.
• Eating late at night. Your stomach will have to digest your food while you are in bed, leaving you feeling as though your meal is just ‘sitting there’
• Eating 'on the run'. Grabbing a sandwich, rushing your food may mean your stomach finds it hard to digest your food properly

Luckily there are a number of simple things you can do to try and avoid dysmotility symptoms. So don’t feel you're stuck with it for good:

• slow down, take a break and relax a bit. And, above all, don’t eat on the run.
• make sure you don’t gobble your meal and always chew your food well before you swallow. Once you’ve eaten, give yourself time to digest your food properly before going on to do something else. In other words, allow your stomach’s natural digestive rhythm to keep up with you. Often it’s not what you eat but how you eat.
• try eating smaller, lighter meals rather than making one big one last all day
• don’t eat just before you go to bed
• try to avoid fatty, rich foods
• cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink

Dysmotility is uncommon in children. If you think your child is suffering from dysmotility like symptoms you should seek the advice of your pharmacist or doctor.

If you find you suffer continually or your symptoms persist for extended periods, then you should talk to your doctor.

If you feel queasy or have a heavy, bloated stomach after eating, ask your pharmacist for a motility product. It works by restoring your stomach to its natural digestive rhythm, so the food you’ve just eaten can move on through your system at the rate it’s supposed to. Once your stomach is working properly again your symptoms should disappear.

There are many natural remedies thought to aid digestion but the scientific evidence for their effectiveness is unclear. If you want to try a natural alternative, consult a homeopath or a natural remedy retailer for further advice.

If a remedy for dysmotility will keep my stomach 'on the move', does that mean I'll be rushing to the loo all the time?

How can I tell if the bloating feeling I have is due to dysmotility or trapped wind?

I don't lead a particularly hectic lifestyle and I seldom eat 'on the run' but I regularly get a queasy stomach. Is this dysmotility?