‘Why Do I Keep Burping?’ a Doctor Reveals the Top Cause and Simple Pencil-Trick Fix
A gastroenterologist says most patients are surprised to learn the real trigger
You’re in the middle of dinner with your in-laws (no mean feat!) when it happens: A sneaky, ill-timed belch bursts past your lips, and you find yourself blaming cruel fate—as well as what you thought were innocent mashed potatoes just minutes ago. It’s not the first time a bout of the burps has intruded on your social plans. So, if you’re wondering, “Why do I keep burping?” read on for the surprising reason—and easy remedies.
What causes burping?
“We all burp whenever we swallow air, be it after drinking a carbonated beverage or eating a big meal,” says Anish Sheth, MD, gastroenterologist and Chief of Gastroenterology at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. “When the pressure builds in the stomach, the valve between the esophagus and the stomach opens—it’s a reflex that helps decompress our stomach, so that we feel better.”
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‘Why do I keep burping?’ The #1 trigger
While you would expect a bit of belching after downing your aunt’s famous casserole at warp speed, if it occurs throughout the day, “randomly, excessively or repeatedly, there is only one reason,” explains Dr. Sheth. “It’s called aerophagia, the swallowing of air, which is an unconscious behavioral issue.”
If you’re surprised that this simple habit leads to excessive burping, you’re not alone. “Many patients are skeptical because they don’t think they’re swallowing air—it’s gotten to the point where I say, ‘You’re going to think I’m crazy…” After all, we tend to associate burping with stomach upset, indigestion and acid reflux.
And while that’s not exactly wrong, these issues don’t directly trigger belching, Dr. Sheth continues. “Rather, they cause people to swallow air. And this can become a learned behavior: When the upper GI tract isn’t feeling great, we learn that belching provides temporary relief. I tell patients all the time, it’s like cracking your knuckles—there’s no physiological reason we need to do it, but it just feels better when we do.”
Swallowing air often continues until it’s treated
“I’ve seen this go on for months, a year or even two. When patients come in, as they’re talking to me, they’re belching—and before they do, if you look at their throat, you can see they’re doing a little swallow every time.”
This is called a supragastric belch, which means the air isn’t coming from the stomach, Dr. Sheth explains. “It’s air that’s swallowed, then immediately brought out as a belch. And for people who have a problem with [chronic] burping, that’s usually the underlying cause.”
Keep burping? Try this proven remedy
To help curb occasional burping, simple strategies like eating and drinking more slowly and sipping fewer carbonated beverages usually do the trick. But because supragastric belching is behavioral, the most effective approach is biofeedback therapy, reveals Dr. Sheth.
One clever biofeedback technique he recommends: “For people who belch excessively and repeatedly, say, for a minute straight, the first thing we tell them to do is open their mouth, and hold a pencil between their teeth,” shares Dr. Sheth. Neat trick! But why? “If you try this right now, you’ll find that with your mouth open, it’s very hard to swallow.”
The bottom line on burping a lot
“I tell patients, it’s not like you woke up one day and said, ‘I just want to start belching all the time,’” says Dr. Sheth. “It’s usually a secondary phenomenon—maybe from a bout of indigestion, food poisoning or just general stomach upset—that triggers a sensation leading you down this road. And sometimes, if you’re in a stressful situation or feeling anxious, that behavior is more likely to be perpetuated.”
“Usually, once we explain what’s happening—again, patients are skeptical at first—and we show them a few techniques, they’ll say, ‘Wow, actually, you’re right,’ and they start feeling much better.”
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