Heartburn can be very uncomfortable, especially if it happens frequently. That burning pain in your chest and throat can make doing everyday activities more difficult. But the good news is that you can manage it. By changing your lifestyle, you can get back to your ordinary daily life.
The biggest lifestyle change you should be making if you have heartburn is to change your diet. There are several foods that are known to cause you heartburn. Foods such as chocolate, fatty foods, spicy foods as well as acidic foods are all culprits of heartburn. There are also certain drinks that cause heartburn such as coffee and alcoholic beverages. All these foods and beverages should be avoided if possible because they build up more acid in the stomach, causing it to leak into your esophagus. What you should be eating is more fiber. Eating fiber-rich foods, such as whole grains, helps prevent heartburn because it greatly improves your gastric motility. Which means the food you consume moves a lot faster through your digestive tract. You should also start eating smaller meals throughout the day. Larger meals tend to put pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which can potentially leak stomach acid up into your esophagus. Eating smaller meals that contain a lot of fiber might be the way to go.
The second lifestyle change you should make is how you sleep. Heartburn does not just happen during the day; it can also happen at night when you are trying to sleep. The first thing you should do is to not lay down right after a meal. This is because your stomach contains the most acid right after you eat. Sleeping on an incline can prevent heartburn because it allows gravity to push the acid back down. But you may want to just avoid eating that late night snack right before bed, to prevent it all together. The other thing you may want to consider when you are trying to sleep, is laying on your left side. This is because your stomach is shaped in such a way that lying on your left side helps you avoid heartburn. Allowing good old gravity to help push down that pesky stomach acid. The best pillow that offers relief from painful, nighttime heartburn is the MedCline Acid Reflux Relief System. This pillow features an incline and allows you to sleep on your left side. Letting gravity do its job of stopping acid from going up your esophagus and giving you a goodnights sleep. This doctor recommended pillow is the best GERD/heartburn pillow on the market today, giving you the sleep that you deserve.
If you have frequent heartburn, you should consult your doctor first. You might have an underlying condition such as GERD or you may need medication. For occasional heartburn, all you may need is a lifestyle change. You’d be surprised how much a simple diet and sleep position change may help.
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Article written by William Graves.