Are you are one of the unfortunate ones who sufferer nighttime heartburn attacks? Well fortunately there are a number of basic but effective things you can do to prevent nighttime heartburn, so that you can enjoy a restful nights sleep. This is important because if you are losing sleep on a regular basis then this could increase the stress in your life, which itself is known to be an indirect cause of heartburn. A kind of vicious circle develops.
As most causes of heartburn are related to diet and lifestyle, then this where we need to look. Considering What, When and How you eat is extremely important and the following measures are recommended.
• Obviously, you should avoid those foods and drinks that are known to cause heartburn such as – fatty foods, spicy foods, tomatoes, garlic, black pepper, raw onions, chocolate, peppermint, citrus fruits and juices, coffee, alcoholic and carbonated beverages. If you must have a sweet after your meal then avoid one that contains chocolate.
• Try not to make the final meal of the day a large one, make lunch the main meal instead. Even better, eat smaller meals regularly throughout the day. This will help to reduce the amount of food in your stomach and the quantity of acid that is produced..
• Eat your last meal at least three hours before you go to bed. Then avoid eating snacks, which will only raise levels of stomach acid.
• Eating more slowly and chewing well will help to ease the digestive process.
Apart from changes to your eating habits there are a number of other things you can do to prevent nighttime heartburn which are simple but effective.
• Do not lie down after eating, to watch TV for example, as this makes it easier for the contents of a full stomach to flow back into your esophagus.
• Avoid that late night alcoholic drink.
• DON’T SMOKE.
• Sleeping with your head and shoulders raised will help gravity retain your stomach contents in your stomach. Placing the head of your bed on blocks will work. Alternatively, use a specially designed wedge shaped pillow.
• It is also recommended that you sleep on your left side as this apparently helps digestion and the removal of stomach acid.
• Finally, have a supply of antacids to hand which will bring the quickest relief should you suffer an occasional bout of nighttime heartburn.
Getting a good night’s sleep is a pleasure as well as essential for your health and wellbeing. Applying as many of the above measures as possible will certainly help to prevent nighttime heartburn attacks so that you can enjoy the benefits that restful sleep will bring.
Once you have discovered how simple natural remedies can have a major impact on your heartburn, you might then want to consider what further steps you can take, which could significantly reduce your heartburn and even eliminate it permanently.
Stomach AcidTag Archives
How to Prevent Nighttime Heartburn – 10 Tips for Getting a Good Nights Sleep
Avoid The Foods That Cause Acid Reflux To Get Effective Relief From Heartburn
There are numerous causes of acid reflux and this is the reason why conventional medication, which only treats the symptoms of heartburn, will only produce temporary relief. So, what of the causes themselves, shouldn’t we address these if we are to get more effective relief from heartburn ? Of course we should.
There is a common saying that “you are what you eat” and this can certainly be applied to heartburn. As one of the major causes of acid reflux is the food that you eat, then doesn’t it make sense to avoid those foods that cause acid reflux to get effective relief from heartburn ? Can it be that simple?
The problem occurs when the acidic stomach contents flow back into the esophagus and this is known as acid reflux. It is the “burning” effect of the acid on the sensitive esophagus lining that causes the pain of heartburn. So, what causes the problem to occur?
There numerous causes of the condition mainly related to diet and lifestyle but the most common trigger by far for an attack, is something you have eaten. Certain foods can cause the problem by either
• stimulating the stomach to produce excess acid
• causing the mechanism that should prevent the reflux occurring, to relax or weaken, allowing the stomach contents to flow back.
It is well known that the following foods and drinks can trigger acid reflux.
• fried and fatty foods
• tomato based meals
• spicy foods
• chocolate
• peppermint
• citrus fruits and drinks
• alcoholic and carbonated drinks
Different people react differently to these foods, but by keeping a note of the foods that cause acid reflux in your case and then avoiding them in future, you will have established an effective means to prevent heartburn attacks. It really is that simple.
For those people who only suffer the occasional attack, this approach could even solve your problem permanently.
In more severe cases, you need to take additional measures to combat your problem. Your lifestyle can also have a major influence on creating the conditions that produce these attacks. So, before you even contemplate taking medication, you should consider what changes you can make to the way you live, that will eliminate some of the other causes of your problem.
By avoiding the foods that cause acid reflux and making some specific changes to your lifestyle, you will have taken some extremely positive measures to gain effective relief from heartburn . However, should you require additional support then you have the choice of a wide range of totally natural medication, that is equally as effective as conventional medication, but has the added benefit that it does not cause the adverse side effects that drug based medication is known to do.
So, there you have it effective relief from heartburn without the need to take any form of drug based medication.
Natural Heartburn Cures – Common Precautions That Can Prevent Heartburn
More often than not, the heartburn you are experiencing is usually not starving for oxygen, but your esophagus is consumed with acids and other things that can trigger it. They say the best cure is one that can be relieved naturally. So, natural heartburn cures can range from relieving it, or taking the necessary precautions to avoid it altogether.
Restrain yourself from consuming fats and alcohol. Alcohol triggers heartburn, as does foods that contain a lot of fat. These two things can weaken the muscles that open and close your stomach.
Lose some weight. Pressure from excess weight can push stomach acid where you know you don’t want it to go.
Sit up straight after eating meals. Stomach acid has a way of creeping into your esophagus and attacking sensitive nerve endings there, causing irritation to your throat, when you are lying down within hours of eating a meal.
Eating before going to bed is never a good idea for you or your body. Yet, if you cannot resist it, prop the head of your bed up about six inches with a couple of extra pillows. Gravity will help prevent your stomach acid from working its way into your esophagus; later irritating it and making you have terrible heartburn, and may wake you up while you’re sleeping.
Refrain from wearing skin-tight clothing materials and cinched belts, as they can push acids from the stomach into your esophagus. Doctors prohibit the use of tight-fitting outfits with people in adulthood, due to the fact that it is another heartburn trigger.
Several other cures are out there for heartburn, and there are other heartburn cures that you can find from your doctor. These common steps can help treat your heartburn and put you in the right steps to making sure you will never have it again.
Easy Ways to Prevent Heartburn
Your risk of developing exercise induced heartburn increases if you exercise too soon after a meal, particularly a large meal. If possible, wait several hours after a meal before heading to the gym to give your food a chance to move out of the stomach into the small intestines. Try to avoid overindulging at mealtime if you know you’ll be exercising later that day.
Try it yourself; have someone sit on your stomach after a meal and watch the acid rise back up the digestive tract. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. Imagine how uncomfortable it will be for a pregnant woman.
There may be ways to stop heartburn naturally, depending on how severe your case becomes. For example, eating smaller meals more frequently instead of a few large meals throughout the day may prevent heartburn from occurring. Similarly, if you’re significantly overweight you have a higher chance of recurring heartburn; eat sensibly and exercise, and you may be able to prevent heartburn altogether. Subsequently, you probably want to avoid spicy and fried foods because these are common triggers of most cases of heartburn.
Avoid foods that are fatty, spicy or greasy. If you have to eat them, eat in moderation. Citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, chocolate and onions are foods that may trigger heartburn as well.
Alcohol relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. It also increases the production of stomach acid. If you want to consume alcohol, follow these tips: Dilute alcoholic beverages with water or club soda, drink moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages — the suggested amounts are 1-2 mixed drinks, 12-16 ounces of wine, or 2-3 beers, drink white wine instead of red, choose non-alcoholic beer or wine whenever you can.
Change your sleep position. Raising your head or shoulders slightly (about four to six inches) can keep stomach acid where it belongs. Try putting blocks under the legs at the head of your bed or adding a small pillow. Some studies also have suggested that sleeping on your left side can speed up digestion.
Gain the proper amount of weight as discussed by your doctor. Heartburn is more prevalent in obese people. While most pregnant women can healthily gain about 30 pounds during pregnancy, this weight should be added gradually, over the course of several months.
When you have had a meal, resist the temptation to either lay down or sit back with your feet in a raised position. This is a common catalyst for pregnancy heartburn. When you lay back you’re inviting food to travel back up your digestive tract.
Gallstones are solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder or nearby bile ducts. They often cause no symptoms and require no treatment. Sometimes, however, gallstones cause chronic indigestion, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
Raise the head of your bed so that your head and chest are higher than your feet. You can do this by placing 6-inch blocks under the bedposts at the head of the bed. Don’t use piles of pillows to achieve the same goal. You will only put your head at an angle that can increase pressure on your stomach and make your heartburn worse.
Heartburn – Causes, Symptoms and Prevention
Heartburn is a common condition that affects more than 70 million Americans annually. It typically begins with a burning sensation that starts in the upper abdomen and moves up into the chest, often making its way to the back of the throat, and sometimes up into the jaw, arms and back. It usually feels worse when lying down or bending forward.
Symptoms & Signs
Heartburn is an uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth behind the breastbone (sternum) but sometimes rising as high as the neck. It usually occurs after meals, when lying down, or at night while sleeping.
Heartburn usually is due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the rise of stomach acid back up into the esophagus. Heartburn has nothing whatsoever to do with the heart though the discomfort of heartburn may be confused with heart pain and vice versa. Heartburn is a popular nonmedical term that often is referred to medically as pyrosis.
What Causes Heart Burn?
Heart burn is caused by a faulty muscle in the stomach. There is a “flap” at the top of the stomach that stops food from traveling back up into the esophagus. Sometimes the flap doesn’t work properly and stomach acid escapes from the stomach. When the acid escapes, heart burn occurs.
Factors that contribute to heart burn: pregnancy, smoking, eating large meals, being overweight, and wearing tight clothing around the waist.
Heartburn usually ignites a burning pain that runs from your stomach to your breastbone, and it’s often accompanied by a sour taste in your mouth. Heart attacks, on the other hand, may cause a prolonged heavy feeling or squeezing pain in your chest. (Angina, or heart pain, causes similar pain that lasts just a minute or two.) Although pressure chest pain is more commonly associated with heart disease spasm of the esophagus may cause the same symptoms. It’s best to assume the pain is coming from the heart, get emergency help to rule the heart out as a cause, then focus on the esophagus.
Prokinetic medications are those that increase activity or peristalsis of the stomach to help push contents into the intestine more quickly. The medications metoclopramide and domperidone are both prokinetic medications. This medication may be beneficial in those people whose reflux symptoms are caused by delayed stomach emptying.
Try Tea
Green tea has been used for centuries in Japan as an after dinner drink. Green teas aid the body in the digestion process, and help soothe the stomach’s sensitive tissue.
PREVENTION
Heartburn and its symptoms can often be prevented or at least minimized by following a few, standard guidelines.
1. Never smoke before or while eating. Smoking often causes one to swallow small amounts of air, which form air pockets in the digestive tract with the added pressure of food. Smoking also slows the body’s ability to digest food.
2. Monitor which foods cause you to suffer heartburn. Often times, eliminating certain gas forming foods (such as beans, cabbage, cucumbers and onions) from the diet, brings an end to suffering.
3. Eat at a dinner table in an upright, sitting position.