Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest and throat followed by slight hiccups. This condition is extremely disturbing for people and can be caused by consuming spicy, acidic or fatty foods. Heartburn may be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) which is a chronic condition. Here are some simple tricks to get rid of this disturbing condition.
- Loose Clothing: Heartburn commonly happens when the stomach and it’s contents rise up towards the esophagus. Acids produced by the stomach could burn the tissues here. Tight clothing can trigger this condition as it compresses our stomach. To avoid heartburn due to tight clothing one should wear loose clothes including your dress, pants or whatever that exert pressure on your stomach.
- Standing Up Straight: Our body posture also plays a significant role when it comes to the causes of heartburn. If a person experiences heartburn while sitting or lying down, he should try to stand up. If he is already standing, he should try to make his body posture more straight while standing. The science behind our body posture and heartburn is that a straight posture puts less pressure on our lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Our LES is a muscular ring that helps to stop the stomach acid from rising into our esophagus.
- Elevate Your Upper Body: Even if it’s your bedtime you must keep this in your mind that simply just lying down can make your condition worse. Adjust your sleeping position in a way that you have to keep your upper body elevated. For this, lifting the upper body with more pillows is not enough to control the condition. A person should elevate his upper body from the waist. An adjustable bed can ease the condition as a person can easily set the particular angle accordingly. A wedge pillow can be your lifesaver if you don’t have an adjustable bed.
- Mixing Baking Soda With Water: This heartburning condition can be minimized by using a simple remedy with ingredients available in your kitchen. Just dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda in water and have it slowly. You should take all the liquids slowly when having heartburn. Baking soda neutralizes your stomach acid which helps calm the episodes of heartburn. This simple remedy will help you as it is the easiest way to reduce the irritating symptoms of heartburn.
- Ginger: Ginger is well known for treating nausea as well as it has been used as a folk remedy for this heartburning condition for centuries. You can add some grated or diced ginger root in your soups, stir-fried recipes or in other foods. Ginger tea can also be used during heartburn. Also keep in mind that one should avoid ginger ale in heartburn. Carbonated beverages can trigger your heartburn and many of the ginger ale brands have artificial flavor instead of having the real thing.
- Licorice Supplements: Another folk remedy to treat heartburn is using Licorice root. It is believed that Licorice root increases the coating of mucus on your esophageal lining, which actually protects the esophageal tissues from damage that can be caused by stomach acid. Licorice is present in Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) supplement, which has been processed enough to remove its glycyrrhizin which can cause adverse conditions or side effects. Intake of excessive licorice or DGL can elevate your blood pressure and decrease your potassium levels. Always consult your doctor before taking it or before any other medications.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Another simple home remedy for treating heartburn is with apple cider vinegar. It is believed that this remedy neutralizes your stomach acid. For this remedy you just need to dilute some apple cider vinegar with water and take it after your meal. According to the suggestion of one researcher, diluted apple cider vinegar can elevate heartburn for some people. So more research work is required for this remedy of treating heartburn.
- Chewing Gum: According to a research done in 2014, chewing gum for half an hour after taking any meal will reduce heartburn. Chewing gum actually stimulates swallowing mechanisms by stimulating saliva production. The produced saliva will help in diluting the stomach acid from the esophagus. Also keep in mind that too much chewing gum could be disastrous to your health because it has higher content of sugar and free calories which could ultimately disturb your glycemic index.
- Avoid Smoking: Smoking a cigarette is not only bad for your lungs and overall health but it is also disastrous for the conditions of heartburn. If you are a smoker and you are facing an issue of heartburn, you must quit smoking. Smoking can help you in coping with your uncomfortable situation but not with your heartburn. Instead it will elevate your heartburn condition and make it worse.
- Over-The-Counter Medication: There are a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) medications used in conditions of heartburn. These medicines belong to the following three classes i.e Antacids, H2 Receptor Blockers, Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs). H2 blockers and PPIs reduce the secretion of stomach acid, which helps in preventing the symptoms of heartburn, where Antacids play an important role in neutralization of stomach acid.
- Lifestyle Adjustments: Whenever facing an issue of heartburn many home remedies, over-the-counter medicines may give help. But adjusting your lifestyle is extremely important to have control over this uncomfortable condition. A person should adjust his daily habits to avoid heartburn symptoms at first. Following are some simple tricks to adjust one’s lifestyle, that are avoid consuming foods that trigger heartburn like foods rich in fats and spices. Instead, you should take a healthy or balanced diet containing all the nutrients required by your body and also to avoid any unhealthy conditions. A person should take his last meal at least three hours before his bedtime, as acids are used in the process of digestion which should be done when the body posture is elevated or straight to avoid any symptoms of heartburn. Maintaining a healthy weight plays a key role in maintaining a healthy body environment. You can also face some other unhealthy conditions or heartburn if your weight is not according to your body mass index (BMI).
- Consult Your Doctor: If a person is experiencing the symptoms of heartburn more than two or three times a week, he must consult a doctor. As in some cases doctors will prescribe you some medicines or treatment or cure the conditions of heartburn or acidity.