Acid reflux can cause a lot of suffering. Regardless of the cause, you can start healing once you educate yourself about it. You have to research and know your options so you can see what is necessary to treat your condition.
Your dinner should occur three hours or more prior to your bedtime. You need to stay upright for at least two hours to allow your food to properly digest. If you lie down, acid can move into the esophagus. So, you should allow a few hours to pass prior to going to sleep.
You should drink when your meal concludes and not while in the process of eating. This is a good way to manage hunger, since you stand a better chance of being thirsty than you do hungry. Drinking liquids outside of mealtimes won’t bloat your stomach, so acid won’t be as easily transported back to your esophagus.
When you are at a healthy weight, it is less likely that you will suffer from GERD. Excess fat pushing on your stomach could cause the esophageal sphincter to relax. Once you tone up, your sphincter will tighten and the acid will stay put.
Pregnancy can cause acid reflux in women. Growing babies crowd a pregnant woman’s stomach, which makes acid reside in the esophagus. You can keep your symptoms under control by sticking with low-fat and low-acid foods. Also, consume teas that can have a healing effect on your esophagus.
Avoid really restricting clothes. Tight belts, pantyhose and waistbands are all of the usual suspects. Your stomach will be under needless pressure from these types of tight fitting clothing. This can cause symptoms of acid reflux. Let your stomach breathe a little more by wearing comfortable clothing.
Acid reflux symptoms can often be reduced by avoiding beverages with your meals. You are putting pressure on the esophagus sphincter if your stomach if stuffed with liquid and food. This can cause acid and food in the stomach to raise back into the esophagus and destroy its lining.
Slippery Elm
Slippery elm lozenges are optimal to help with your acid reflux. Made of slippery elm bark, these lozenges coat the digestive system with a protective substance. This type of lozenge soothes the throat and relieves hoarseness and coughing that often accompany acid reflux. They can be found at most health food and natural remedy outlets.
Try not to drink too much alcohol if you suffer from acid reflux. That’s because alcohol can produce excessive stomach acid, resulting in acid reflux. If you insist on drinking alcohol, try to only drink one or two glasses and find a wine or alcohol that does not increase your acid reflux symptoms.
Drink less beverages of any type during meal times. Your stomach is stressed while eating, and drinking at the same time will only increase that. The liquids can create added pressure on your stomach. Instead only take tiny sips of water during the meal, and save drinking full glasses until between meals.
Don’t eat in the three hours prior to going to sleep. Sleeping bodies are not very efficient at digesting food. Eating too close to bedtime can result in you experiencing acid reflux symptoms during the night.
Acid Reflux
Gluten is a major acid reflux trigger. People with heartburn and acid reflux should avoid grains such as oats, barley and wheat. Millet and quinoa are grains that are well-suited to helping digestion.
Excessive weight can make acid reflux worse, so you should maintain a reasonable weight. Excess weight can cause acid reflux. The extra weight can place a lot of pressure on your abdomen and lead to reflux. Shedding as little as 10 percent of your weight can ease your symptoms.
Don’t lie down after eating. Stay upright for a couple of hours. Sit up, stand or better still, take a stroll. Gravity works as an effective acid reflux combat tool. The specific amount of time that is needed before being able to lie down depends on both the individual and the last actual meal.
Surgery may be an option to help control your acid reflux, and you will need to speak with a doctor about it. A procedure that can really help this condition is called fundoplication. What happens is the doctor can insert a new valve which can lessen how much acid makes it into the esophagus. Although surgery is an extremely scary thing, it can permanently end your acid reflux, so you might want to consider it!
Don’t smoke! Besides the other health benefits, quitting smoking helps reduce acid reflux. Smoking increases stomach acids while slowing down the digestive process. It also decreases saliva, which is needed in the digestion process. If you smoke, don’t do it for around a couple hours after a meal.
Choose your beverages very carefully. Have you ever had four sodas with dinner? While you may not go this far, controlling what you drink is key to controlling acid reflux.
Don’t drink too much alcohol if you have bad acid reflux. Alcohol like hard liquor, wine, and beer can weaken your esophagus and cause reflux. It’s okay to drink every once in a while, but binge drinking is very harmful.
Wearing clothing that is too tight can increase the risk of acid reflux. If you have heartburn issues, loose clothing doesn’t put pressure on the stomach. Tight belts or pants can push the stomach up and cause problems.
Whatever the reason for your decision, you are now better prepared to battle your acid reflex. Now that you have all of the information needed, you can start making changes. Eat healthy, stay active and use what you have found here to keep acid reflux away.