On the average people let one go about 15 times a day. For some as many as 40. I personally have never counted, but you get the picture. The NHS says the average person lets off around a pint of intestinal gas a day. Sometimes you can’t bring yourself to fart though because of the environment you are in – it could lead to embarrassment through the noise or the smell. This is why sometimes we have to hold them in. The question we ask today is whether that is a good idea.
Your Body Could Reabsorb the Air
When you hold in your fart the body is left with no option but to reabsorb the air – sometime you will feel the reverse bubbling. Bizarrely it can resurface as a burb??? This way is far more gross, as it involves gas literally bubbling up from your intestines and coming out as a burp (unlike your regular burps, which are made up of significantly less smelly gas from the stomach)
It Can Lead to Pain and Heartburn
The pain is caused by the air coming back up and pushing out on the walls of your digestive tract – literally getting bigger and putting pressure on everything around it. Heartburn can be an issue because until the gas has disappeared nothing can really move through – ie the exit of the stomach – nothing moves, things back up and heartburn can ensue – maybe not the acid reflux type but for sure uncomfortableness.
It Affects Your Colon Health
In the 1970s, experts found that a habit of holding in farts could be associated with the development of diverticulitis. This is the inflammation or swelling of pouches that form along the digestive tract. Diverticulitis can be severe and can cause infection if left untreated.
It Will Make You Feel Bloated All The Time
Holding in a fart just keeps those bubbles of gas in the gut. Nothing of substance can really move along until the gas is gone. The fact that nothing is moving, even though the signals coming from the gut are telling the brain that movement really needs to happen, is the reason why the whole experience feels so uncomfortable.
It Might Be Signalling A Worse Problem
While farting every day is normal, farting all the time is not. Excessive farting, also called flatulence, can make you feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. It might also be a sign of a health problem. You have excessive flatulence if you fart more than 20 times per day. Please bear this in mind and maybe see a doctor.
It Can Make Having a Poo More Difficult
It’s worth knowing that ignoring the urge to poop allows more time for the water to be absorbed, which can mean a hard and dry poop that can lead to constipation.
