Get Rid Of Your Acid Reflux With These Tips
When acid reflux is the diagnosis, your world may swirl around you. What can you do to make it go away? What treatments are there available for it? Are there natural ways of controlling its symptoms? This article details many tips and tricks to help you stop suffering from this condition.
Try to lose some weight. If you are overweight, especially around your abdomen, it will put increased pressure on your stomach. This can contribute to an increase in acid reflux symptoms. Simply losing a couple of pounds will reduce the pressure on your stomach, which in turn will reduce acid reflux.
There are some foods which people who suffer from acid reflux must avoid. These include high-fat foods, alcohol, drinks with caffeine, anything with mint in it, chocolate, citrus, anything with tomato in it, foods with spices in them, peppers, garlic, carbonated drinks and onions. You may find your acid reflux flares with many other foods as well, so make a list.
Avoid eating spicy foods including those with hot peppers in them. These foods can lead to painful acid reflux after eating, so not eating them can easily remedy your discomfort. Instead, focus on spices which don't lead to pain, such as cinnamon or herbs. They taste great and leave you comfortable post-meal.
Elevate your head above the bed. You can lift up the bed by using bricks, wood or raisers specifically made for raising a bed. Raise the head of the bed about six inches. This will prevent stomach acid from rising during the night.
If you have been taking antacids over an extended period of time, chances are you have acid reflux. While it will not hurt you to take tums every now and then, continuing to take them when the problem may be more serious is a mistake. Go see a doctor if you have had symptoms for quite some time.
People who suffer from acid reflux should try to consume foods that are high in calcium, cesium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. These minerals are alkaline and will help reduce the acidity in your stomach. The lower the levels of acid in your stomach, the less you will suffer from acid reflux.
Avoid eating fatty foods such as french fries, pizza and other fried foods. Fatty foods relax the stomach muscles allowing acids to rise into the esophagus resulting in increase acid reflux. Instead of fatty foods, opt for lean proteins such as baked chicken breasts along with fruits and vegetables.
Limit the amount of drinks you have when you eat. Beverages can add volume to the food that you digest and increase how distended your stomach is. Having a full stomach puts some pressure on your LES or lower esophageal sphincter, which is responsible for keeping food from getting back into the esophagus. This increases your chances for having reflux. To lower chances, take small sips when eating and try drinking your beverages between meals instead of during meals.
Try a spoonful of honey. While there is no hard evidence that honey treats acid reflux, it is very useful to soothe and relieve the painful burning associated with it. Honey will coat your esophagus in a protective and soothing layer, and help neutralize some of the acid. If you are looking for some relief until you can identify and treat the cause of your heartburn, a little honey can be just what you need to get back to sleep.
Refrain from consuming alcohol if you want to get rid of your acid reflux pain. Alcohol can cause acid reflux to worsen. If you must drink, have a lot of water to dilute the alcohol.
There are lots of potential trigger foods that can cause you heartburn and acid reflux. Try to avoid these foods. The usual suspects are fatty fried foods, caffeinated drinks, chocolate, alcohol, citrus juices and fruits, spicy foods, tomatoes and beverages with lots of carbonation. If you just avoid these foods, you will eliminate many symptoms.
When people have acid reflux, chewing cinnamon gum can offer them some relief. Acid is neutralized in the stomach due to increased saliva production. Chewing some gum also causes most people to swallow with greater frequency. This will ensure that the stomach acid remains where it should be.
Be sure to stop eating three hours before bedtime. If your regular bed time is 11 P.M., your last meal should be consumed by 8 P.M. When you lie down with a full stomach, it puts extra pressure on the LES muscle. When you do that, you'll have acid reflux flare ups.
If you dedicate yourself to making the changes listed in this article, you should be ready to stop suffering from acid reflux. It is important that you take them one at a time, implementing the change and cementing it into your lifestyle. Once you do, there will be no looking back!