Acid reflux is not something you want to deal with on a common source of discomfort and pain.There are times it’s bad enough to keep you from doing the activities of daily living. There are many things you can do to decrease suffering.Read the below article in order to learn what to do.
If you are a healthy weight, you are less likely to suffer from acid reflux. Your sphincter muscle at the lower end of the esophagus loses its effectiveness with extra fat pressing on your stomach. When you lose that weight, you will find the sphincter works properly by keeping stomach acid from rising up.
Eat your last meal of three hours before bedtime. The acid in your stomach stays put when you are awake and upright. Laying down could cause acid to rise again.
Keep stomach acid in your stomach by raising the top of your mattress with a wedge. You can also find beds that elevates.
Raise the top part of your bed. Use anything from books to bricks to increase the incline. The head of the bed should be approximately six inches higher. When you have your chest and head elevated, stomach acid is less likely to come up when sleeping.
Acid Reflux
Pregnant women often start developing acid reflux as well. The developing baby can push acid back into the stomach. You can avoid acid reflux by sticking with low-fat and low-acid foods. You can also try soothing teas that will help reduce acid but will not harm your stomach.
Don’t lay down right after you eat. When laying down, the digestive tract can have problems with what you eat. By staying in an upright position, you can avoid the problems associated with acid reflux and continue to feel healthy.
Eliminate hot and spicy foods from your diet to help alleviate acid reflux symptoms. Spicy foods can increase the acidity in your acid reflux symptoms much worse. You will usually find relief by avoiding this type of food.
You can raise your bed with bricks or a piece of wood. The head should be at the foot. You can stop stomach acid from rising into your esophagus by elevating your chest and head.
People with acid reflux should always avoid foods that trigger attacks. Foods that are too rich in fat and grease, caffeine, alcohol, onions, garlic, spicy foods and mint flavored foods can cause acid reflux. Triggers differ for everyone. If many of these foods don’t trigger your symptoms, you can keep eating them.
The ability of the food you eat really doesn’t affect the pH level. Lemons and other foods become alkaline once they have been digested. This is confusing if you have acid reflux sufferer. Learn about the different pH of foods.
Check out food labels for fat content.
Your last meal consumed for the day should be no less than three hours before bedtime. If you retire to bed at 11pm, be done eating by 8pm. A full stomach leads to pressure on the esophageal sphincter. This is a major trigger of acid reflux.
Acid Reflux
Are you aware that the tendency of food to form acid is unrelated to the pH level? Acidic foods like lemons actually become alkaline upon digestion. This can be confusing when you suffer from acid reflux. Learn the pH of different foods if you have acid reflux.
Eating some of your favorite foods can be problematic if you have acid reflux. When a tomato sauce is involved, consider adding some sugar to cut the acid. This may make the sauce a little sweet, but it will be easier to eat.
Eating when stressed can cause you to experience lots of heartburn and acid build-up You should do something relaxing after eating a meal. Avoid lying down right after a meal; sit upright instead.
Try to eat your last meal about three hours before going to bed. If your regular bed time is 11 P.M., be done eating by 8pm.The reason for this is that lying prostrate with a full stomach tends to increase pressure on the LES muscle.This can cause an increase of acid reflux attack.
If you don’t want to have acid reflux in the evening, don’t eat in the three hours preceding your bedtime. This will cause your stomach to produce acids before bed. This acid is produced by the stomach. Not eating before going to be bed will reduce naturally the stomach acids, consequently reducing acid reflux.
If acid reflux has bothered you before, then you know how hard it is to eat spaghetti and pizza. Adding sugar to tomato-based sauces may help mitigate the acidity.
Do not lie down right after consuming food. Gravity is your friend when it comes to treating acid reflux.
You need to ask your doctor about medications concerning acid reflux. There are many over the counter medicines you can try, or if your heartburn is severe you can opt for prescription medication. If you would like a prescription medication for acid reflux symptoms, ask your doctor to prescribe one. Do not use a prescription that belongs to someone else.
See a physician right away if there is blood in your feces or vomit. This can signal a serious problem. If you find out you have a different condition, you might be able deal with it effectively and quickly.
Stop smoking as soon as you smoke.Quitting smoking can help improve your health and acid reflux. Smoking promotes stomach acid and also slows digestion. Smoking can also decreases the amount of saliva produced. If you smoke, avoid smoking for at least two hours after eating for best results.
Wearing clothing that is too tight can increase the risk of acid reflux. Therefore, you need to wear loose-fitting clothing, which won’t add unnecessary pressure on your midsection. Restrictive clothes over the stomach cause a great deal of gastric distress.
Limit your meals. A full stomach means more pressure upon your esophagus. The esophageal sphincter helps keep food down and away from the esophagus.
If your reflux hits you worse at night, think about your sleeping habits. This will help force your stomach acid to stay where they should be.
The type of gum can make a difference as to your acid reflux symptoms and you should steer clear of peppermint and spearmint gum. The bottom of the esophageal sphincter relaxes from mint gum, making heartburn occur. Fruit and cinnamon flavors make much better choices. Saliva production increases, clearing the esophagus and alleviating reflux pain.
Acid Reflux
Chew some cinnamon or fruit-flavored gum following a meal. Chewing gum causes saliva glands to go into production. The saliva will help neutralize stomach acid. Avoid mint flavored gum because it can exacerbate acid reflux. Always take some gum on hand to assist with you in case you suffer from acid reflux.
Go to the nearest health food store and buy some slippery elm lozenges. These lozenges help get rid of your hoarseness and coughing, which can help prevent further damage. Use these along with lifestyle changes for best results.
Acid reflux does not have to rule your life every day. Taking what you have learned from this article and using it in your daily life will help you regain the life you used to know. Gain control of your life again.