TreatmentTherapy
With mild, only recently existing nocturnal stomach pains it can be tried first to do without fatty, sharp, very sweet and salty food and to seize to Schonkost like boiled potatoes, carrots or lye pastry. If you have an upset stomach, it often helps to avoid solid food for 12 hours to 2 days. Many other diseases of the stomach, such as reflux disease or an ulcer of the stomach or small intestine can be completely healed by acid inhibitors such as omeprazole and pantoprazole.
Acid inhibitors are very frequently used drugs with only rare side effects. Nevertheless, gastroscopy must often be performed to rule out stomach cancer and other diseases. There is no need to be afraid of a gastroscopy: it rarely leads to side effects and is quickly over.
Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach can have various causes and sometimes has to be treated with antibiotics for several weeks. A lifelong substitution with vitamin B12 may also be necessary. If a life-threatening, acute disease such as gastric perforation is responsible for the stomach pain, surgery usually follows.
Duration
Nocturnal stomach pain can last for completely different lengths of time depending on the underlying disease. If the stomach is irritated, they usually stop after only a few hours or a day at most. If an ulcer of the duodenum is the cause, they can recur for years, but often improve after eating. They can also occur again and again in cases of gastritis until the underlying disease is treated. If very severe stomach pains suddenly occur at night, it should not be waited long before they stop – severe pain is often a sign of a serious illness and should be clarified as soon as possible!
At night in a lying position
Lying down can lead to heartburn, especially after a rich, high-fat meal. No matter whether at night or during the day, when lying on your back increased stomach acid flows into the esophagus, causing pain in the upper abdomen, behind the breastbone and often also in the throat. Furthermore, flatulence, known as meteorism, can be the cause of night-time stomach pain, which occurs mainly when lying down.
Gases are increasingly formed after eating foods such as beans, various types of cabbage, peas, cheese, unripe fruit and more. They can cause strong pressure in the intestine and thus lead to pain in the entire abdomen. The extent to which a food causes flatulence varies from person to person.Also, which body position leads to improvement is different for each person – while some like to stand, lying down is good for others with an inflated stomach.
The therapy of flatulence is often unsatisfactory, if no cause is found, and should be discussed with a doctor if the patient’s own therapy is not successful. Important non-drug means against increased gases in the gastrointestinal tract are a change of diet and a lot of physical exercise. Fennel and caraway tea, yoghurt or herbal remedies such as Iberogast and peppermint oil can also lead to improvement.
