That burning sensation so commonly experienced by diners is only one of the calling cards of acid reflux. Other symptoms sufferers may experience include such things as a consistent sore throat, bad breath or a bitter taste in the mouth. In spite of good mouth hygiene, they may exhibit yellow teeth. They may have acid regurgitation or a dry cough. Such symptoms are perhaps just as serious and uncomfortable as the persistent burning sensation that follows eating foods that trigger heartburn or regurgitation.
Heartburn is a common sign of acid reflux that is also experienced by heart or chest pain sufferers. Yet chest pain, the most significant sign of acid reflux, is the least understood indicator of this disease.
It is important that you learn to tell the difference between heartburn and heart-related chest pains. Many sufferers who experience chest pain rush to the hospital fearing they are having a heart attack. Fortunately, they often learn that is not the case. Yet, you should not take chest pain lightly. If your chest hurts, seek medical help right away, regardless of how many false alarms you have had in the past. Chest pain can indicate a life-threatening heart attack.
The name heartburn indicates the general area of the body where the pain is located. Heartburn can feel as though the pain is literally coming from your heart. The burn describes the feeling that, although the pain is centered in the chest, there are pains radiating or burning away from the center point.
The reason for this sign of acid reflux known as heartburn among acid reflux sufferers is that the acidity causing the heartburn occurs in the digestive tract that runs near the heart. Heart-related chest pain will increase with simple physical exertion, unrelated to eating. If you feel that your heart is about to burst, you are experiencing actual heart-related pain and are possibly having a heart attack. If that is the case, seek medical attention immediately. However, the heartburn associated with acid reflux increases and decreases primarily when you eat certain foods. For instance, oily foods will make a dramatic increase in heartburn for most sufferers.
Eat at least two to three hours before lying down
This way your stomach won't still be digesting on that big meal when you go to bed. This is because the stomach has to produce great amounts of acid in order to digest the food. The excessive acid tends to back up into the esophagus when you lie down. Lying down with a stuffed stomach can cause stomach contents to press harder against the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the valve that holds the food in the stomach. If foods reflux up through the LES, it will result in heartburn.
Avoid foods that are known to lead to heartburn
Foods that can set off your heartburn, such as spicy foods, coffee, citrus fruit, fruit juices and chocolate should be avoided near to bedtime. If you consume any of these foods at dinnertime, it will increase your chances of having nighttime heartburn. If you aren't sure what foods trigger your heartburn symptoms, try to keep a notebook record for heartburn record for a week. Additionally, refer to the list of acidic food list below. This will serve as a tool for you to look out for acidic food.
Sleep with your head and shoulder on an incline
Lying flat presses the stomach's contents against the LES. Proper disgestion does not happen in that prone position. However, if the head is higher than the stomach, gravity helps reduce this pressure, and keeps stomach contents where they belong--in the stomach. You can elevate your head in a number of ways. You can place bricks, blocks or anything that's sturdy securely under the legs at the head of your bed. You can also use an acid reflux pillow to elevate your head and shoulders.
Quit smoking
Nicotine can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, which can lead to stomach contents entering the esophagus, with heartburn as a result. Smoking also stimulates the production of stomach acid. Cigarette smoking dries out the saliva in the mouth and esophagus. Saliva would normally neutralize stomach acid. Therefore smoking can lead to symptoms of acid reflux
Avoid alcohol
Alcohol increases the production of stomach acid. Alcohol also relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), allowing stomach contents to reflux back up into the esophagus. It may also curb the contraction of esophageal sphincter. It is the failure of the sphincter muscle to contract tightly that leads to acid reflux.
Take an antacid when heartburn hits
Antacids will work very quickly on heartburn you may be experiencing before you go to bed. It also can be used for those heartburn episodes that wake you up during the night if the heartburn comes back. An H2 blocker will work for a longer period of time, usually up to 12 hours. Another option is to combine the two. You should discuss this with your physician to determine what is the best treatment for you.
Taking Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is another temporary relief of stomach acid reflex as it absorbs the excess acid in the stomach. Several over-the-counter medications, developed for stomach acid reflex, may offer extended relief by taking them daily or prior to eating. By absorbing the acid, it greatly reduces the chance of acid refluxing back into the esophagus.
Both Tori A Hewitt & Cindy Heller are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.