When anyone refers to heartburn, they mean the burning sensation that you feel when the lower esophageal sphincter opens backwards and allows acid and food to return in the esophagus, sometimes up to the mouth, causing along with it an acute burning sensation in the chest. This is called heartburn, maybe because it seems like your heart is on fire!

Why Does Nighttime Heartburn Plague So Many of Us?

It has been shown through a number of medical reports and studies that lying down or sleeping immediately after a heavy meal, usually causes heavy indigestion and heartburn. This is because sleep reduces the capacity of the body to digest, and hence the food stays half digested in the stomach, for which extra acid will be produced. It has been observed that when one changes the sleeping position to a slightly elevated upper part of the body, the nighttime heartburn, if it occurs, will not be as severe.

The best way to prevent nighttime heartburn however is to finish your meals at least two to three hours before you retire for bed. In case you cannot avoid late eating or immediately retiring to bed, try to sleep on the left side with your left leg straight, and the right leg bent at the knee at right angle. This position can give almost instant relief from nighttime heartburn and can be used as an SOS when you have nothing better to do against it.

In case, after all the precautions you still get acute nighttime heartburn, it is better to consult with a doctor for better treatment. Ensure that he or she explains to you the problem and what exactly needs to be done, and so on. The doctor will be able to prescribe for you the right treatment, diet and other precautionary measures to prevent the occurrence of the nighttime heartburn.

When the treatment is prescribed, ensure that the advice is followed closely so it can work. Do not stop the course of medicines in the middle, after you “feel a bit better” because this will cause the body to grow resistant to the drugs and thence, create a receptive foundation for the next attack.

There are several medicines that can be consumed to give you instant relief. A doctor can prescribe these medicines, but keep in mind that some are to be used as preventive methods while others are to be taken post discomfort.

It is very common to get occasional heartburn. Every one in four people in the world experience this symptom at least once in a month. This is usually caused by heavy eating, oily foods, or eating too late past the meal time. There is absolutely nothing wrong experiencing occasional heartburn. However, if the occasional heartburn becomes a constant feature, then it can become a very serious problem.

What is Heartburn and what are the Remedies for it?

Heartburn is the burning sensation that you get when the acid in the stomach escapes in the form of bubbles through the esophagus. Medically speaking, it is known as GERD which is short for gastrointestinal acid reflux disease. As the name indicates, acid reflux means ‘acid flowing backwards’.

This symptom is seen occasionally in every human being. It is the result of indigestion which in turn provokes formation of gas in the stomach with high acidity. This is when one feels that the upper part of the alimentary canal or the heart region is burning – hence the common name, heartburn.

People will mostly experience occasional heartburn after a large meal, oily foods (like burgers, french-fries, pork with a lot of fat, etc). It looks like people in the US are more prone to occasional heartburn than people in Asia. This is because in Asia, food is spiced up with the help of ginger which is an herb that soothes indigestion and heartburn.

When this happens, the person usually feels extremely restless and uncomfortable. Doctors usually prescribe products containing calcium carbonate or an alkaline compound to neutralize the acid and give instant relief. Peppermint oil also has been known to be highly efficient in providing fast relief.

The best way to prevent the occurrence of the occasional heartburn is to avoid fatty foods and/or late meals. In case these cannot be avoided, then you should have on hand the required antacids to get instant relief when the occasional heartburn occurs. If this symptom becomes a common feature, then you might have a serious digestion problem and you should seek doctor’s advice at the earliest.

Prevent occasional heartburn from turning into a chronic affliction by cutting out the foods that provoke gas, indigestion and acidity. Chronic heartburn can be very painful, besides being a serious health hazard. Therefore, take utmost care to prevent it so that you can live a more carefree life.

Heartburn occurs when stomach acids back up into the esophagus, causing pain in the middle of your chest. There is a muscle located at the base of the esophagus, called the sphincter, which normally will prohibit acids from coming back up. If that sphincter does not function properly, the acids will indeed back up into the esophagus. The cause of a malfunctioning sphincter is largely unknown.

However, there are many things in your diet and lifestyle that can contribute to the problem, causing chronic heartburn issues. The good news is that because diet and lifestyle are a piece of the problem, modifications to both can bring relief from heartburn symptoms.

Potential Causes of Heartburn

One of the first lifestyle choices that can be a contributing cause of heartburn is smoking. The chemical in cigarette smoke actually weakens the sphincter, making it easier for acids to pass through. If you are a smoker, you may see relief from your heartburn if your quit smoking. Another cause of heartburn is eating large meals. If you suffer from regular or chronic heartburn, try eating smaller meals more frequently to alleviate the full feeling in your stomach.

Wearing tight fitting clothing, especially around the waist, can be a contributing cause of heartburn as well. Switch to loose fitting clothing and see if you notice an improvement. Finally, eating too close to bedtime can cause problems while you are sleeping. Try to eat your last meal of the day more than three hours before retiring. If you still find you are waking up with heartburn pain, you can raise the head of your bed about six inches, so that you are not lying completely flat while you sleep. If none of these lifestyle changes seem to help relieve the heartburn you are experiencing, it may be time to move on to dietary changes.

Dietary Causes of Heartburn

There are some common causes of heartburn in our diet that you can try eliminating first to see if that brings relief. For example, fatty and fried foods, caffeine, chocolate and alcohol are all known to be contributing causes of recurring heartburn, because they can cause the sphincter muscle to relax and allow acids back up. Other diet choices to refrain from are citrus fruits and juices, and tomato products. If avoiding these foods and beverages don’t help, you can try keeping a food diary for several days to see if you can pinpoint which specific foods are causing your heartburn.

Recurrent heartburn is rarely serious, but it can be difficult to cope with the constant pain. By identifying the cause of your heartburn, you can avoid those things in your diet or lifestyle that are contributing to your pain and discomfort.

All of us love food to some degree, whether it is a lavish chocolate cake, a greasy hamburger with fries or a five-course meal at your favorite restaurant. However, did you ever notice the discomfort it causes not long after you are done enjoying it? Well, here are some tips for identifying the food that causes heartburn so you can prevent the discomfort next time.

What Types of Foods Cause Heartburn?

Any food that is hard to digest will cause heartburn and some of the common examples include anything that is fried and greasy, minced meats, heavy sauces, chocolate cakes or other heavy deserts – and of course over eating of anything regardless of how good it is for you.

It is important however to identify the type of food that causes heartburn as even if there are specific categories foods from which you will expect to get heartburn there might be others that will irritate your stomach or digestive tract resulting in an uneasy feeling.

Eating fast is another cause of heartburn which many of us are not even aware of. There are times when you get really hungry, perhaps because of missing a meal or excessive activity but, whatever the cause may be, you will end up with way too much in your plate. And before you know it you are gulping down at a extremely quickly because you are starving, only to later feel the repercussions of your haste.

The brain usually takes about 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full and at times, when you are hungry, it will take half the time to eat a whole meal and be half way through the second serving by that time! When eating quickly the food that causes heartburn can be almost anything because here the stomach does not have the time to register the intake leave alone digest it.

How to Avoid Heartburn

Identifying the food that causes heartburn is the first step you should take. Then you can prevent it by having heartburn and indigestion pills before you start eating a meal. All drug and grocery stores carry heartburn medications as they do not need a prescription to purchase or administer. However, do read carefully the labels and do not take more than the indicated dosage.

Enjoy your food slowly and drink plenty of water during the meal; this will help greatly with the digestion of food and reduce the frequency and intensity of heartburn. The food that causes heartburn can still be enjoyed if you eat sensibly and prevent it before hand. There is no need to give up your favorite dishes and meals or deprive yourself of any enjoyment as long as you are careful and responsible for your intake.

Heartburn is a terrible affliction which causes a lot of pain and inconvenience even when it occurs occasionally. Every human being, child and adult, will experience some time or other this terrible symptom. They learn from experience which foods to avoid for heartburn as some food groups do not agree with them. Some causes can be generalized, but many times, the irritants are as different as the people whom they affect.

Main Culprits – Some Foods to Avoid for Heartburn

There are many foods that are commonly known to cause acid in the stomach and heartburn. These are citrus fruits, tomatoes, fatty foods such as pork chops, deep fried meat, or potatoes, aerated cold drinks, coffee, hot milk and so on. These are just some of the foods one should avoid for heartburn as consuming any of these in excess can cause acute discomfort.

However, not all the items named above react in the same way on everyone. People have different reactions to different stimulants and hence, one will need to carefully watch and identify which foods cause the greatest harm. Once you have a list, eliminate those foods from your diet to the extent possible. For example if you find that hot milk causes acute heartburn, then either stop having it altogether, or have it at room temperature or ice cold.

Similarly, with fatty foods – either totally stop having them or have a Tums right before or after the meal which will neutralize the excess acid formed in the stomach.

Many complain that a popular food that should be avoided for heartburn is everyone’s favorite – chocolate. It has been found that heartburn can occur following the consumption of chocolate or chocolate drinks at night. It has been observed that if the same drink is enjoyed during the day time, it does not react. However, at night it provokes high acidity. It is good then to avoid chocolate and its derivates at night.

Many people observe that smoking and alcohol consumption – with special emphasis on smoking – cause acute heartburn. It is very true that smoking affects the acid production in the stomach. If you observe that heartburn is a common occurrence post smoking, do away with the habit. As it is, smoking is one of the most harmful habits of a human being.

Alcohol, when consumed on an empty stomach also can cause an acidic stomach. In order to avoid this, you should always consume some nuts or something similar while drinking. This would ensure that your stomach does not overdo the production of acid, when you drown it in alcohol.

The symptoms and reaction vary from person to person. The good news is that, most of the time, if you avoid the foods that cause heartburn, you are in effect removing the irritant – and the heartburn disappears too.