5 Things to Take into Consideration When Your Teen Has a Stomach Ache

• It could be heartburn or a digestive issue: Heartburn and indigestion aren't reserved specifically for adults. Kids can get heartburn too, resulting in uncomfortable experiences. Bloated tummies, burping, flatulence, and more can create discomfort in the stomach, throat, and throughout the body. Heartburn is a sign of low acid in the stomach, which could mean there is an imbalance in natural gut bacteria. An increasing amount of research is drawing a link between mental health and stomach health. Eating digestive-friendly foods and taking probiotic supplements helps regulate an irregular stomach.
• Dehydration can cause stomach cramps: Everyone needs a certain amount of water in order to live and maintain energy for a healthy life. Some claim that you and your family should be consuming at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water every day. Drinking no water or too little water can cause a stomach ache as the body struggles to fuel energy and regulate itself.
• Opioids cause severe constipation: Opioid use on a regular basis by people who take prescribed medication accordingly is known for causing constipation. Opioid abuse, on the other hand, can cause severe and painful constipation which lasts for many days. Chronic constipation which seems to be more than the average tummy ache could be a subtle warning sign that your teen is abusing opioids.
• Stomach aches can result from eating disorder behaviors: When the stomach doesn't eat for many days, it starts to hurt. After an episode of binge eating, the stomach hurts. The stomach also doesn't feel well after throwing up. Ongoing stomach aches could be a hidden sign of eating disorder behavior. Eating, food, and trying to control food through restriction, bingeing, and purging, all come down to the health of the stomach.
• Stomach aches can be psychosomatic: Sometimes stomach aches are psychosomatic, meaning they are the expression of unexpressed emotions. There are different stomach-emotions that are experienced at different times. For example, getting butterflies in the stomach, feeling the stomach drop, feeling the stomach in the throat, feeling a pit in the stomach. Mostly these are passing psychosomatic experiences. Constantly having a stomach ache or stomach discomfort could be a sign of stress, distress, or even trauma, that is not being expressed emotionally.

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