Is Your Chronic Bloating Actually SIBO Belly?

There is nothing more confusing than chronic bloating. You try to pinpoint the pattern- but there isn’t one. You’re bloated after healthy meals you’ve eaten a hundred times before. You’re bloated after drinking water. And weirdly, fast food becomes your safe ‘no bloat’ meal. Your doctor hasn’t given you any information outside of “eat more fibre, drink more water and try a probiotic”, and that made you feel worse, so here you are, Googling down a rabbit hole at 11pm.

I know because I’ve been exactly where you are. And I want to tell you something that took me way too long to find out when I was newly diagnosed with IBS literally decades ago: the bloating you’re experiencing might not be about what you’re eating at all. It might be what’s living in your gut.

It’s called SIBO- and it could be the missing piece of your digestive puzzle.

What Is SIBO & Why Does It Cause Such a Bloated Belly?

SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth- a condition where bacteria overgrow in your small intestine and are disrupting your digestion.

Here’s what’s happening inside your gut. Your small intestine has its own microbiome- a carefully balanced community of microorganisms that plays a key role in digestion and nutrient absorption. Under normal circumstances, bacterial levels in the small intestine are kept low and tightly regulated. But when something disrupts that balance, the wrong bacteria migrate in or multiply beyond what’s normal. And once they’re there, they start feeding on your food before your body has a chance to properly digest it- releasing gases in the process that cause that characteristic ‘SIBO belly’ bloating: visibly distended and deeply uncomfortable.

Beyond the bloating, common SIBO symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Diarrhea, constipation, or unpredictably both
• Excessive gas and burping
• Nausea and fatigue
• Food intolerances that seem to multiply over time

Could Your IBS Actually Be SIBO?

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Studies show that up to 80% of people diagnosed with IBS actually have SIBO as an underlying root cause. That’s a massive deal- because while IBS is typically treated as something you just have to learn to live with, SIBO is actually treatable.

So if you’ve been handed an IBS diagnosis, told there’s nothing you can do, and have felt stuck ever since- this could change everything.

How Do I Know If I Have SIBO?

The good news is that SIBO is diagnosable- and you can test for it at home. The typical test is a breath test. You drink a sugar solution- either lactulose, glucose or fructose- and the test measures hydrogen and methane gas levels in your breath over a few hours. The type and timing of gas production indicates if you have SIBO, but what type it is and how severe- all of which directly shapes the treatment approach.

This is important because SIBO isn’t one-size-fits-all. There are different types- hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide- and each requires a different protocol. Testing tells you exactly what you’re dealing with so you’re not guessing.

One thing I always tell my clients: test before you spend money on protocols. It saves you time, money, and a lot of frustration. Targeting the wrong type of SIBO won’t get you results- and in some cases can make things worse.

What Causes SIBO?

SIBO is usually tied to a breakdown in the body’s natural digestive wave system called the Migrating Motor Complex (“MMC”). Think of the MMC as a cleansing wave that sweeps bacteria out of the small intestine between meals. When it stops working properly, bacteria build up where they shouldn’t-and the bloated SIBO belly is often the result.

The question worth asking isn’t just do I have SIBO– it’s why did I get SIBO in the first place. Because without addressing that, it tends to come back.

Common SIBO triggers include:

• Food poisoning- even if it was years ago
• Chronic constipation
• Hypothyroidism
• Endometriosis
• Bowel surgeries or abdominal scar tissue
• Long-term antacid or opioid use
• Chronic stress

If any of those resonate, SIBO could absolutely be a factor in what you’re experiencing.

How Do You Treat SIBO?

Here’s the honest truth: SIBO is not a one-and-done kind of treatment- and this is where a lot of people (including myself!) get tripped up. They expect to take a round of antibiotics or herbal antimicrobials and feel better immediately. Most people need more than one round in conjunction with complimentary therapies.

Also, treating SIBO without addressing why it developed in the first place is like mopping up a flood without turning off the tap.

Effective SIBO treatment is always personalized and always multi-pronged. A full recovery plan typically includes:

• A period on the Low FODMAP diet to help you feel less bloated immediately
• Herbal antimicrobials or prescription antibiotics to reduce the bacterial load
• Support for the Migrating Motor Complex to get things moving properly again
• Targeted probiotics- because yes, the right probiotics can actually help with SIBO
• Targeted fibre therapy to help balance the whole gut microbiome
• Longer-term strategies to prevent relapse

But just as importantly, it means addressing the deeper drivers- nervous system regulation, stress, gut motility, and any underlying conditions that created the environment for SIBO to develop in the first place. Because until those are dealt with, SIBO has every reason to come back.

This isn’t about throwing supplements at the wall and hoping something sticks. It’s about building a smart, step-by-step strategy based on your body, your symptoms, and your test results- so you’re not just clearing the overgrowth, you’re making sure it stays gone.

What To Do If You Think You Have SIBO

Pause and take a deep breathe. Because if you’ve been bloated for years, tried everything, and are only just discovering SIBO, it can feel like a lot. But the good news is that you now have a name for what’s going on and that means you have now have a clear next step. And that means you can make a real plan.

Here’s where to start.

Get tested first. As tempting as it is to jump straight into a protocol you found online, testing tells you exactly what type of SIBO you’re dealing with- and that determines everything about how it gets targeted. An at-home SIBO breath test is accessible, straightforward, and absolutely doing before spending money on supplements or protocols that may not be right for your specific situation.

Work with someone who actually understands SIBO. This is something hard to navigate alone- and it’s not something your GP is likely to have a detailed roadmap for either. Because effective SIBO treatment isn’t just about reducing the overgrowth. It’s about understanding why the bacteria overgrew in the first place, supporting your nervous system, improving gut motility, and building a plan that keeps it from coming back.

If you’re not sure where to start, take my free bloating quiz — it’ll help you understand what might be driving your symptoms and whether SIBO could be part of the picture.

You Don’t Have to Keep Living With SIBO Belly

If you’ve been bloated every single day, tried every diet, seen every doctor, and still don’t have real answers- I want you to know something: it is possible to get answers.