Heartburn prevention is a curious thing really. With over 40 million heartburn sufferers and counting, with the dozens and dozens of educative advertisements, and with the amount of information that exists today on heartburn, the one thing you would expect to find would be more initiative from people for heartburn prevention.
It actually does make sense in an odd kind of way however. People tend not to think of their mortality, and take for granted that a few simple steps might prevent what can be a very painful journey. Heartburn prevention is easy, it is actually curing heartburn that's harder.
Granted, heartburn won't hit everyone, but still, a very large number of people will suffer from it, with the numbers growing larger and larger, along with numbers for heartburn related illnesses.
If you have a family history of heartburn, if you're overweight, if you tend to devour large amounts of caffeine like it's going out of fashion, or if you like eating spicy meals. If any or all of these describe you, then there's a good chance that you're at risk for heartburn.
However, if you're truly interested there are heartburn prevention methods out there that will keep you living heartburn free.
The most commonly prescribed heartburn prevention out there, is to eat smaller meals. Eating large meals fills your stomach which in turn increases your heartburn risk. Eat regularly, and don't eat just before bedtime, lying down may cause the acid in your stomach to rise. As an obvious one, don't exercise for 2-3 hours after a meal. Same reasons.
Avoid alcohol, and other beverages that will stimulate your heartburn, like citric juices and tomato juice. Coffee, and caffeine filled products should be avoided at all costs, as should nicotine, therefore, no smoking either!
Lying down on your left side also helps, as does elevating your head when you sleep. Placing a few bricks, or blocks of wood underneath the headboard to elevate it slightly should be okay, otherwise try using a wedge-like pillow under your head.
Avoid tight fitting clothing, as this will only put a strain on your stomach, also try and avoid bending. Acid reflux is quite common in this situation.
If taking medications, be wary of taking any with aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If you do need non-prescription painkillers, then try replacing your aspirin with something like acetaminophen. However, you should always consult your doctor when taking medication of any kind, and you should also be careful if taking different medications at the same time.
These are only a few of the heartburn prevention methods available to us, but these are also the more commonly used, and easy to practice methods. Heartburn prevention is easy, try it before you too succumb to the painful rigors of heartburn, and live your life heartburn free.
