Learn How You Can Cope With Acid Reflux

By John Martins


Are you locked in battle with acid reflux. Does the pain of heartburn keep you awake at night? Has your acid reflux gotten out of control? There are ways to bring acid reflux under control and to bring your life back to one of joy.

Be sure to have dinner no less than three hours prior to bedtime. When you remain upright, your food and stomach acids stay put in the stomach. When you lay down, the acid can rise back up. You need those few hours before deciding to hit the sack.

You want to do most of your drinking between meals and not while you're eating. It's more likely that you are thirsty rather than hungry, and this will settle your hunger pangs. Acid will stay out of your esophagus more often if you do most of your beverage drinking outside of your meal time frames.

Smoking can cause serious problems if you suffer from reflux. Stomach acid production goes up when you smoke while saliva production goes down. Balance the benefits of quitting with the possible stress it can be on the body. Take a very conservative approach when trying to quit.

Some foods can cause an episode of acid reflux when we eat them. Some common problem foods are chocolate, alcohol, fast food, coffee, tea, or any beverage with caffeine. Additionally, citrus fruit, tomatoes and other foods with a high level of acidity can cause problems. The triggers can vary from person to person, meaning that you'll have to learn from experience which ones cause discomfort and which do not. In order to be safe, you should stay away from these foods.

Stress can trigger an attack of acid reflux. If you feel a lot of anxiety, the stomach generally creates more acid. Try to engage in relaxing activities following meals. This may be meditation, yoga, reading a book, watching television, etc.

You should consider quitting smoking if you are a sufferer of acid reflux. Nicotine can cause acid reflux to worsen. But when it is time to quit smoking, do it with some help. Cold turkey puts the body under stress and this can make your acid reflux problems worse. Instead, quitting should be a gradual effort.

After meals, chew on a piece of cinnamon gum. Saliva production is increased when you chew. This will neutralize stomach acids. Also, chewing gum causes people to swallow, which helps clear away acid from the esophagus. If not cinnamon gum, fruit flavors work as well. Mint flavored gum causes the esophageal sphincter to relax, adding to the problem.

Now you know more of what you should eat or not eat. There may be lifestyle and dietary changes that you must make. Living life to the fullest without suffering with acid reflux is what you've learned here. It is possible to enjoy food again by making a few changes.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment