Some people experience this condition when their stomach hurts in the morning. The causes of the pathology are quite variable and only a doctor can understand them. The pain can be intense or light, pass quickly after waking up or persist for long hours. Some people are able to accurately indicate their location, while others cannot determine the source of discomfort. Why does my stomach hurt in the morning?
Digestive diseases
The most common cause of abdominal discomfort in the morning is the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract. This may be a dysfunction of the hollow organs - the esophagus, stomach, intestines, as well as diseases of the digestive glands - the liver and pancreas. It is also necessary to examine the condition of the gallbladder and spleen.
Other symptoms help think about gastroenterological pathology:
- stool disorders (diarrhea or constipation);
- nausea;
- burning behind the sternum;
- decreased appetite;
- vomiting of acidic contents;
- belching;
- bitter taste in the mouth.
How to determine the cause of pain yourself?
It is possible to determine the defeat of a particular organ, depending on the location of the pain.
- If the stomach in the upper abdomen hurts in the morning , this indicates a pathology of the stomach, small intestine, inflammation of the gallbladder, and pancreatitis. Common causes are peptic ulcer, hyperacid gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux.
- Pain in the right hypochondrium occurs with diseases of the liver, gall bladder, and stomach. If they are paroxysmal in nature, gallstone disease should be excluded.
- Pain in the left hypochondrium occurs in the pathology of the spleen, pancreas, left stomach.
- In the morning, the stomach in the umbilical region hurts, often due to disruption of the intestines. With pathology of the small intestine, a person complains of bloating, an accumulation of gases. Constipation, accumulation of fecal stones, intestinal overflow cause discomfort in the navel and below.

Morning pains do not always indicate a disease. After an abundant evening feast, eating heavy food (fatty, smoked foods, flour products), there is discomfort in the abdomen, bloating. Your organs simply could not cope with the heavy load, did not split all the food eaten the day before. Therefore, the stomach hurts in the morning due to fermentation and putrefactive processes. Going to the toilet helps to cope with the problem. To avoid unpleasant sensations, in the future try not to eat a lot before bedtime and reduce the amount of food at one time.
Hungry pains
My stomach hurts in the morning due to long breaks between meals. Often, people striving to lose weight suffer from malaise. Following the recommendations, they eat at 18 o’clock, and the next meal is often postponed until late in the morning. This type of pain quickly disappears after breakfast, sometimes a cup of milk or tea helps relieve symptoms. To relieve pain, you have to eat little and often.
However, discomfort should not be attributed to hunger. Pain always indicates an existing pathology and is a signal that it is time to take active measures. Most likely, the cause is an inflammatory process in the stomach when its internal walls are damaged. Numerous snacks only dull the symptoms, and the disease continues to progress. Do not postpone a visit to a gastroenterologist, if this is your case.
Peptic ulcer, erosion of the stomach and small intestine are also manifested by pain in the stomach on an empty stomach. Sometimes patients wake up at 4-5 in the morning from what “sucks in the stomach”, in severe cases the pain is pronounced and brings a lot of suffering. With erosion, acidic vomiting occurs, which brings relief. The condition is quite dangerous, because it can lead to bleeding and perforation of a mucosal defect.
What can provoke pain in children?
In the evening, the baby was cheerful and healthy, and in the morning he points his finger at the navel and complains of pain? You should measure the temperature, look at the nature of the stool - normal, mushy or liquid. Sometimes the cause of complaints is the reluctance of the baby to attend kindergarten or school. And he is not always cunning. If the child’s stomach hurts in the morning, this may be evidence of stress, emotional stress, and peer problems. In these cases, you can think about a neurosis and consult with a specialist.
The characteristic pose of the child speaks of acute pain - he lies curled up on his side and pulls his legs under him. In such cases, the baby slowly and very carefully changes the position of the body, constantly crying.
Diseases in which the child’s stomach hurts in the morning
The most common causes:
- appendicitis;
- food allergy;
- helminthic invasion;
- pancreatitis
- poisoning;
- intestinal infections;
- digestive diseases.
If the stomach hurts for 2 hours, and the intensity of the pain rises, the temperature rises, there is no stool, urgently call an ambulance. The child needs immediate consultation with the surgeon. Before the arrival of the team of doctors, you can’t take any measures - give the baby painkillers tablets, apply a heating pad to the stomach. Such an initiative will only dull the symptoms of the disease and interfere with the correct diagnosis.
If your stomach or diarrhea hurts in the morning, these are signs of an intestinal infection or poisoning. The recommendations here are similar - consult a doctor in the near future. Diarrhea in the morning and abdominal discomfort may indicate intestinal dysbiosis. In any case, the child will need to do the necessary tests, which will help to eliminate a serious pathology.
Abdominal migraine
In children under 14 years of age, a disease called "abdominal migraine" occurs. Abdominal pains appear simultaneously with headaches, are paroxysmal, shooting, cutting and are quite intense. Usually the baby is not able to indicate the place of their localization, since the soreness is diffuse. At the same time, other symptoms appear: nausea, vomiting, intolerance to bright light. The skin is pale, sweat is visible on the face. After the end of the attack, symptoms disappear on their own.
During pregnancy
Often a woman has a stomach ache in the morning during pregnancy, and not always unpleasant sensations indicate some kind of pathology. During the bearing of the child, a sprain of ligaments attached to the bones of the pelvis occurs, which causes discomfort. Typically, such pains are intermittent and intensify during body movement.
In the early stages, mild pain is felt, and this is considered normal. The reason is the stretching of the enlarging uterus, which presses on the adjacent organs. The body adapts to a new state under the influence of hormonal changes. Many women experience pulling pains in the days when menstruation was supposed to be planned.
However, a woman should be alert. When cramping sharp pains, spotting appear, urgently go to the gynecological department. Such sensations are a harbinger of an early miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.
Abdominal pain in late pregnancy
In the last months before childbirth, discomfort in the lower abdomen and lower back can be caused by training fights. At this time, the uterus is easily palpated by hand. Training sessions differ from true fights in their irregularity, just the body is so prepared for the process of procreation.
Sharp pains in the third trimester may indicate premature birth or placental abruption. Procrastination in this case becomes dangerous for both the baby and the mother. Until amniotic fluid has passed, pregnancy can be maintained.
Digestion is quite common and becomes the reason that the stomach hurts in the morning from gas during pregnancy. The hormone progesterone relaxes the smooth muscles of the internal organs, including the intestines. Constipation, bloating appear. Poor functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract may be due to the pressure on them of a greatly enlarged uterus.
Other reasons
If the stomach often hurts in the morning, other diseases should be excluded:
- gynecological pathology;
- impaired renal function;
- prostate diseases;
- pathology of the nervous system;
- tumors;
- adhesive disease.
Panic attacks
Overexcitation of the autonomic system is accompanied by the release of the hormone adrenaline. Under its influence, not only the vessels narrow, but there is an imbalance in the work of the muscles of the internal organs. They alternately contract, which causes a spasm in the abdomen, then relax. It causes pain.
In panic attacks, a feeling of fear, palpitations, increased pressure, diarrhea or constipation, hot flashes, sweating, and a feeling of chilliness also appear. Sometimes a person considers the world and his own actions as if from the outside. The disease affects young people and people over 60 years old.
Do not ignore abdominal pain on an empty stomach, because here are the most important organs. After all, the body in this way sends signals that there is a problem.