Lifestyle Changes - Help with Acid Reflux Symptoms

Heartburn is never fun, and even less so when you have frequent heartburn. If this is a condition that you suffer from, you may think that medication is the only way to stop the pain. That is sometimes not the case. There may be an underlying condition that is contributing to symptoms that a doctor can diagnose. If, however, you have a simple case of acid reflux, there are some changes you can make to your lifestyle to help keep heartburn to a minimum, or possible eliminate it all together.

Eating smaller meals more frequent meals is a good place to start. What happens is when a large meal is eaten, your stomach expands, putting pressure on the esophageal sphincter, making it hard to keep it closed. Eating smaller meals does not put that pressure on the area, which lowers the possibility of getting acid reflux.

Another option is to limit the number of foods and drinks that stimulate the amount of acid that is produced. So, try to include more foods that do not cause excess acids and steer clear of the ones that will come back to haunt you. If you are unsure which foods you can have and which ones you should not, and because everybody is different, try experimenting. Coffee, tea, other caffeinated and alcoholic beverages are among some triggers as well as spices, peppers, tomatoes, citrus fruits and peppermint.

Eating later in the evening and not having snacks before bed is another idea that may help curb heartburn. Also, try to not lie down for three hours after you eat. What happens is that after you eat, your stomach produces acid to break down the food and when you lay down, the acid may creep up, causing heartburn.

Also, by elevating your body slightly while sleeping, you can relieve symptoms. To do this, you can buy a wedge pillow that will elevate your head, neck and torso. Doing this will help keep pressure off the lower esophageal sphincter. Laying flat adds pressure to this area. Also, being overweight creates pressure on the abdominal area, which pushes your dinner back into the esophagus. To help with this, losing as little as ten percent of your body weight will reduce this pressure and you will feel better.

Smoking can also increase heartburn symptoms. This is because the smoke reduces saliva production. Salvia helps to neutralize stomach acid. The longer and more often you smoke, the less saliva is produced and stomach acid is allowed to go unchecked.

Another culprit of causing heartburn is alcohol. This is not to say that you cannot enjoy an adult beverage in moderation, but it is something to be avoided if you suffer from acid reflux.

Relaxing is also something you can do to ease symptoms. Stress triggers behavior that leads to heartburn, even though stress itself is not linked directly to it. For example, the more stress you are under, the more likely you are to smoke, drink and eat foods that are not good for you and the less likely you are to exercise and eat right.

One thing you may not have thought about is your clothing. If your belt is too tight or you are otherwise constricted in the clothes you wear throughout the day, the symptoms of heartburn may increase. This is because the stomach cannot comfortably stretch around the foods you eat and the tightness forces food up, causing acids to cause heartburn.

If you want to really pin point the cause of the heartburn, keep a record of it. Write down what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat for seven days. Then, if you have a bout with heartburn, write down the times and intensity of each symptom. If the pattern is not readily obvious to you, take the diary to your doctor and get their insight in to the problem. Work with your doctor to determine what changes need to be made to best suit your lifestyle.

Jill Seimer discusses healthy lifestyle at RefluxLife.com and wrote on acid reflux disorder symptoms from her experience using on natural cures for heartburn.