Have you ever heard of the condition known as acid reflux? There’s a strong chance that you’ve probably experienced acid reflux and didn’t know what was happening. Acid reflux is often described as a burning sensation in the body that usually occurs after eating. If you need help stopping acid reflux, this article can offer some advice.
You may need to balance out hydrochloric acid amounts in your body if you want to reduce acid reflux and its symptoms. You can do this, for instance, by using sea salt rather than table salt. Sea salt has chloride and minerals that are good for the stomach and prevent acid.
You are much less likely to have acid reflux if you are at your ideal weight. The weight of excess fat can press on your stomach, causing the esophageal sphincter to relax. Once you tone up, your sphincter will tighten and the acid will stay put.
Did you know that losing weight can help tame the symptoms of GERD? There is scientific proof that having too much body fat leads to the release of chemicals which cause digestion not to function correctly. This can lead to acid reflux and its resulting suffering. Shed the pounds and feel better!
When you find you have acid reflux overnight, raise the head of your bed up at least six inches. This will keep your esophagus angled downwards, ensuring that acid stays in your stomach and doesn’t try to creep back up towards your throat. If six inches doesn’t help, try eight instead.
Some trigger foods cause acid reflux. Fried foods, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and even chocolate are common triggers for acid reflux. Sometimes foods that are acidic, such as citrus fruits or tomatoes, can also make things worse. Triggers are different for everyone, and therefore you may require trial and error before knowing what causes your pain. Avoid all these if you want to be on the safe side.
Once you have eaten, exercising too soon after can definitely make your acid reflux worse. Too much activity will cause your recently consumed food to move up to your esophagus. For this reason, you need at least an hour between eating and working out.
Do you suffer from respiratory problems? Do you have a chronic couch or wheeze often? If so, it could be an acid reflux problem. Heartburn could cause these symptoms. Your doctor might suggest a pH test. This procedure is done on an outpatient basis over the course of 24 hours and can determine if reflux is a problem.
Keep a journal. If you can track when and what you are doing when you have an acid attack, you might be able to alter your life to eliminate those attacks. Write down what you eat, what you have done that day and if you have had any discomforts. You may be surprised at what you find and how easy it is to eliminate some of your problems.
Try to keep yourself elevated when going to bed. Sometimes it could be enough to just add a pillow or two to help you. However, sometimes you may need to have pillows or cushions set up to help you sleep in a sitting position. You might also want to consider sleeping in a recliner on some of your bad days.
Do not smoke. If you smoke now, do your best to stop and if you don’t smoke, do not pick up the habit. If you smoke, quit. Smoking has the ability to cause your lower esophageal sphincter to fail and not be able to do its job of blocking stomach acid.
Slipper elm lozenges can be helpful. Slippery elm helps coat your digestive tract. It can also help relieve any coughing reflux may cause. Health food stores are the most likely place to find slippery elm lozenges.
Are you aware that the tendency of food to form acid is unrelated to the pH level in food? Foods that seem acidic, such as lemons, become alkaline after digesting them. This can confuse those who deal with acid reflux. Get to know your food pH if you suffer from acid reflux.
While eating, it is best to limit consumption of liquids. When you drink anything while eating, you are adding to the stress that your stomach is under. This stress places added pressure on areas that may cause acid reflux. Drink only minute sips of water with your meals.
Make exercise a part of your healthy eating plan. Moderate exercise can facilitate the process involved in digesting your food properly, and it can also help you to lose excess pounds. Both of these things can have a positive effect on acid reflux problems. Make a point to work out at a moderate level at least three times a week for best results.
Without a doubt, acid reflux is more trouble than its worth. The strong painful feelings it creates within the body are discomforting, and if it is allowed to get worse, acid reflux can pose a serious threat to a person’s health. Rather than letting it get to that point, use the advice listed above and eliminate acid reflux.
