Heartburn Management

heartburn

Acid reflux is a condition where the acid in the stomach gets back to the esophagus. When this occurs, the affected person will experience “burning” sensation in the chest region hence its common name “heartburn”. The condition occurs to everyone occasionally therefore, there is no cause for alarm since there are various methods of heartburn management. 

The backflow of food and acids into the esophagus occurs when the muscles in the lower esophagus are not functioning properly. Certain medications and foods are known to trigger the situation and the following ways will quell the condition:

Heartburn Management Methods

Avoid Sleeping with a Full Stomach

Food in your stomach needs to be given ample time to digest before it moves to the next region of the alimentary canal. When you sleep immediately after eating heavily, there is a high chance that the food and acids will get back into the esophagus, aggravating the condition. It is recommended to wait at least 2 hours before going to sleep after a heavy meal. The acid levels will also slow down before you can sleep to keep the reflux at bay.

Don’t Just Eat, Eat Smart

Pressure on your stomach muscles can be elevated when you eat lots of food in one go. This will lead to some acids and foods to return to the esophagus causing acid reflux. To avoid heartburn due to this, you should eat less food and at a prolonged interval to allow digestion of the previous intake.

Minimize Late Night Meals

Your stomach needs to be given enough time for digestion lest you want to disturb its normal functioning. You shouldn’t work in the middle of the night and just put anything into your mouth. Once you have chosen to sleep, let what’s in your stomach to digest. Don’t wake up, eat, and then sleep again. This will worsen the condition.

Eat Slowly

If you are that person who can never put down the fork during meals, then you are likely to suffer from the condition. Why? This is simply because you will eat too much. Give yourself time to eat slowly even if you must complete the whole meal on the plate.

Avoid Foods that Cause Acid Reflux

There is no doubt that there are foods and drinks that can trigger the condition, hence you could avoid them if you are experiencing heartburn regularly. Examples of such are citrus, garlic, spicy foods, coffee, onions, fatty foods, chocolate, and more. If you discover that once you ingest a particular food your condition worsens, you should avoid eating it. 

Don’t Exercise Immediately

The condition can easily be aggravated when you choose to engage in exercises right after eating. To avert the situation, give yourself about 30 minutes after meals before working out.

Lose Excess Weight

A person who is overweight is more prevalent to heartburn because lots of pressure is put upon the stomach region. Reducing excess weight will minimize a situation where food and acids get back into the esophagus.

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