If you suffer from aerophagia—the medical name for repetitive belching—you have probably endured the embarrassment of an unexpected outburst at precisely the most inelegant moment. But your habit can easily be broken if you just become aware of when and how you swallow air and stop doing it. Here’s how:

Stifle it. “Chronic belchers may force themselves to belch because it provides temporary relief,” says Lawrence S. Friedman, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. In fact, it has been demonstrated that repeated belching produces more of the same. On a fluoroscope (a special type of X ray used to visualize a body part in motion), a belching person can be seen forcing air into the mouth and esophagus. So if you’re a chronic belcher, you need to make a conscious effort to squelch that belch.

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In certain cultures, a belch after dinner is traditionally considered a compliment to the cook. In the Western world, if an adult belches after dinner—or at any time, for that matter—it is considered a breach of manners.

Babies burp, and it is certainly a satisfying sound to the mother or father who has been patting or rubbing the baby’s back. Children belch, too, because they think it’s a funny game, and sometimes the competition gets noisily intense. Over the years, however, such child’s play can turn into a habit of frequently and unconsciously swallowing air a habit that can result in belching.

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