“Why do I get gas pains at night?”

It’s usually gas but you must see a GI doctor like me to rule out serious issues like cancer, Helico pylori, colon cancer. IBS. Etc.

Cannot be certain if your pain is from gas. Most gas passes quickly through the intestines and colon and are expelled as flatus and should not cause a lot of pain. It would be best to know better what the pain is from, before advising on how to treat it.

Gas pains and bloating are common and these symptoms may occur at any time of the day or night. Sometimes, they occur as a result of ingestion of particularly gas forming foods. If gas pain is recurring at night, a good first step would be to review intake for dinner and any snack thereafter. Minimization of particularly “gassy” foods at these times may alleviate discomfort. In addition, one must review the time of their ingestion to the time of laying down for bed. If this difference is only 30 minutes to an hour, this may precipitate gas. Try to space out at least 3 hours from last ingestion to laying down. If symptoms persist despite a trial of above, would discuss in detail with your provider.

Dear Patient,

Hello, the causes are quite varied from harmless to life-threatening; lactose intolerance is a common cause of flatulence, as are different severity of constipation and diarrhea. Please seek expert advice from an internist.
Thank you.

Sincerely,

Samuel K. Williams, III, MD, CPG