Your gut can comfortable accommodate only 1 cup of air at a time (though it can hold nine or more cups). You might burp more frequently while exercising as movement massages your digestive organs, dislodging this trapped air and moving stagnant foods.

In most instances, the air pocket in your stomach comes from swallowing air (aerophagia) while eating. As you chew, you swallow the air down. Towards the end of the meal, back up it comes. Babies frequently swallow air that causes uncomfortable pressure. They should be burped to release the pressure.

Carbonated beverages are another frequent culprit. You swallow the fizzy beverage, and it releases the air in your stomach.

Sometimes bacteria generate the air pocket in your stomach by fermenting food in your gut. When food (specifically undigested carbohydrates) sits too long in your upper GI, opportunistic bacteria start to feed on your food, and proliferate. The process of fermentation generates air bubbles.

When your stomach or esophagus is in pain, you may have an urge to burp. But this is a phantom burp because the cause has nothing to do with air pressure building up in your stomach. This is why people with acid reflux, gastritis, and ulcers tend to burp, to get rid of the painful feeling. Even a subjective feeling of emptiness in the stomach can make you want to burp.

Nausea makes a person want to burp too. The release of pressure from the stomach briefly relieves the symptoms of nausea. A variety of conditions from esophageal cancer to vagus nerve disorders can also trigger phantom burping.

If the gas forms in the upper GI, it will be released through the mouth, known as a burp. If the gas forms in the lower GI, it will be eliminated through the anus, better known as a fart. Even restrictive clothing can cause you to burp - a tight fitting belt puts pressure on the abdomen and it causes gas to move upwards.

Burping may seem pretty innocuous, but burping becomes problematic if it's frequent, or if it's a sign of a more serious disorder.

Pathological burping is generally associated with slow, heavy digestion or delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis).

When food sits too long, the bacteria in the digestive tract begin to breakdown the stagnant food, a process of fermentation. These bacteria release carbon dioxide much the same as you and I when we breathe. These gas molecules released by the bacteria begin to collect and build pressure in the upper GI tract.

Food sits in the upper GI for a long time if there is too much mucus (stagnant Kapha type), or if digestion is too weak due to insufficient enzymes (deficient Vata type). This type burping only occurs in debilitated clients whose digestion is very weak. Pain and nausea in the GI is associated with the 3rd type (fiery Pitta type). The 4th type is associated with neurological and degenerative disorders, often Vata in nature. Of these types, burping is most commonly associated with excess mucus and high Kapha.

A moldy smell is a result of sluggish Kapha digestion (manda agni). A rotten smell indicates the cause is Vata indigestion (vishamagni), and that the food has become rotten.

Burps with a sour or metallic smell can be a sign of acid reflux or fast, Pitta type digestion (tiksnagni). If the burp smells foul, that is a sign of advanced fermentation.

Sluggish Kapha type burping is often associated with a tired, sluggish feeling after every meal. A person who experiences it regularly may also have a slow metabolism, or a slightly sluggish thyroid. Sometimes, the mucus in the stomach (kledaka kapha) is so thick, gooey, slimy, and sticky that the mucus acts like a fly catcher for gas in the stomach, absorbing and trapping the air, making it difficult to release. When this happens, aromatic and pungent herbs like cinnamon and cardamom are needed to break up the thick mucus.

To clear food stagnation and lighten the load on a heavy, sluggish stomach with excess mucus, try Joyful Belly's custom formula Mint Belly Bliss Tea.

A blend of pungent and aromatic herbs, it dissolves excess mucus and helps propel food through the digestive tract, giving it less time to ferment and lead to unwanted gas. It boosts digestive strength (agni) by encouraging circulation to digestive organs. Instead of that uncomfortable heavy, sluggish sensation in the stomach, you'll feel light, refreshed and energized.

Avoid Rich Foods

Pulverize Mucus

Pungent spices, like cayenne and black pepper, or the digestive formula trikatu are effective at flushing mucus. The pungent taste starts to thin the mucus layer, so the trapped air can be released. One of Ayurveda's most praised classic remedies for warming the digestive tract and destroying excess mucus is hing, also known as asafoetida.

Dry a "Soggy" Stomach

The bitter taste is drying and can help dry out excess soggy mucus in the stomach that is bogging down digestion. Some examples of bitter taste are cooked kale and arugula. Bitter orange peel is known as one of the best herbs to clear stomach stagnation as it is highly aromatic and bitter. Foods that are high in insoluble fiber, such as celery and beans, can be added to the diet. The roughage will help scrape out accumulated mucus. A kitchari cleanse may also be appropriate to clear stagnant food from the digestive tract.

Indigestion

Inflammation, Pain & Nausea

If you have excess mucus, avoid overeating heavy, rich foods that lead to mucus production, food stagnation and increased burping. If you have weak digestion, focus on easy to digest foods and avoid difficult to digest foods and stay well hydrated. Soon you will be free of excessive burping. Instead of feeling heavy and sluggish with bad breath, you will feel light and fresh again.