If you have ever dealt with acid reflux at one point in your life then you're aware of how harmful this issue can be. It keeps you from having a normal life because you have discomfort all the time. There are several techniques and lifestyle changes to combat acid reflux. The following article will teach you how to do just that.
Stay away from acidic foods. They can both cause and exacerbate acid reflux. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, try to avoid oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit and vinegar. If you can't cut them out of your diet completely, at least try to avoid eating them in the evenings, so acid reflux doesn't strike when it is time for bed.
Always keep gravity in mind. Remember that acid is being held down, so when you position your body in a way where down isn't towards your feet, problems will ensue. Keep your head up and your stomach uncompressed, then you should be able to find relief from acid reflux all day long.
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.
Stay upright after eating. It can be quite helpful if you stay sitting or standing for at least two to three hours after you eat a meal. This will give your food time to digest and help keep your acid reflux symptoms down to a minimum. If you must lie down, do your best to elevate your body above your waist.
If you find you have heartburn more than once a week, you may actually have GERD. This is a serious condition which needs to be both treated and monitored by a medical professional. Talk to your doctor about your condition and whether there is a treatment out there to cure it for you.
Learn your trigger foods. When you know what foods or beverages cause you acid reflux, you can avoid them to keep your symptoms to a minimum. Some foods that often cause symptoms are foods that are fried, fatty, spicy and carbonated drinks. These are just some examples and what bothers someone else, might not bother you.
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.
Acid reflux can be caused by eating large meals too quickly. If at all possible, try to break your meals down into smaller portions throughout the day. If that isn't possible, take the time to eat your food slowly. This will make it easier to tell when you're full, and prevent acid reflux caused by overeating.
A moderate exercise plan that includes activities like walking that keeps you standing up is best for acid reflux sufferers. Doing this can really help to ease your acid reflux in a few different ways. First, keeping upright aids in proper digestion. Second, it can reduce your weight, which also improves acid reflux. Exercising may help with your acid reflux; however, intense exercising can actually worsen your symptoms.
Try to drink mostly in between meals if you suffer from acid reflux. When your stomach is full of food an liquid, the lower esophageal sphincter is under constant pressure. This can cause it to allow the food and acid in your stomach to come back up into your esophagus and destroy the lining within.
Tomatoes may be a tasty and healthy food, but it is not good for those who have acid reflux disease. The amount of acid found in tomatoes is astonishing. If you have acid reflux disease, you should avoid tomatoes and any products that contain them if you want to reduce symptoms.
Watch the numbers on the scale to help alleviate symptoms associated with acid reflux. If you are carrying around several extra pounds, you are putting an increased amount of pressure on your stomach, esophagus and digestive tract. By shedding just a few pounds, you can improve your symptoms without the need for medications.
Try to create separation between your workout regimen and the meals that you eat during the day. It is important to give your body this rest so that it can rehabilitate from your intense session of working out. This time will give your stomach the opportunity to become strong so that it can break down your food efficiently.
Try to eat slowly. Eating too fast will cause acid reflux to strike. If you find that you have trouble with this, make an effort to take a bite and then put your utensil down. This will ensure that you don't put too much food in your mouth at any given time.
Make sure you do not eat during the three hours prior to getting into bed. Do the math! If your bedtime is at ten o'clock in the evening, your last bite should be no later than seven o'clock. Why you may ask? Because when you lie down completely with a stomach filled with food, it places pressure on the LES muscle. If it isn't, your symptoms of acid reflux may flare up.
Stop smoking to help with your reflux symptoms. Smoking can increase your chances of developing GERD too. It slows down digestion, boots stomach acid, and reduces the production of saliva. Without a higher production of saliva, you don't have a great defense against the stomach acid. It also harms the esophagus, weakens your LES muscle and weakens your whole digestive system, which can contribute to acid reflux.
As you may have gleaned from the above article, acid reflux doesn't have to control your life. With the knowledge you have gained, you put acid reflux behind you. Take what you learned here and use that to combat this problem to help you live free from the pain of acid reflux.
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