How To Prevent Nighttime Heartburn

Nearly eight in ten heartburn sufferers experience symptoms at night. If staying up all night isn't the option you are prepared to take for handling your nighttime heartburn, the following suggestions should help you.


1. Eat your big meal at lunch instead of at dinnertime.
2. Eat at least two to three hours before lying down. Eliminate late-night snacking.
3. Avoid foods that are known to lead to heartburn.
4. Sleep with your head and shoulder on an incline.

Tips:

1. It is beneficial to eat 4 or 5 smaller meals instead of 3 larger ones. This will also reduce the gastric pressure. Also, certain foods increase acid production and gastric pressure or they loosen the lower sphincter muscle. You will also want to avoid foods that can irritate the lining of the esophagus, such as spicy foods, coffee, citrus fruit and juices. This is especially true if you eat any of these foods at dinnertime because they can increase your chances of having nighttime heartburn.

2. The position you sleep in is important. Lying down flat presses the stomach's contents against the LES. With the head higher than the stomach, gravity helps reduce this pressure, and keeps stomach contents where they belong--in the stomach. You can elevate your head in a couple of ways. You can place bricks, blocks or anything that's sturdy securely under the legs at the head of your bed. You can also use a wedge-shaped pillow to elevate your head.

3. Just as loose fitting clothing is important during the day, heartburn sufferers need to make sure their bed clothes are also loose. Clothing that fits tightly around the abdomen will squeeze the stomach, forcing food up against the LES, and cause food to reflux into the esophagus. Clothing that can cause problems include tight-fitting belts and slenderizing undergarments.

4. Take an antacid before going to bed. Antacids will work very quickly on heartburn you may be experiencing before you go to bed. It can also be used for those heartburn episodes that wake you up during the night if the heartburn comes back. For longer relief a H2 blocker can be taken, as they usually work up to 12 hours, but may take a couple of hours to start working. One option is to combine the two. The antacid will provide quick relief you'll need until the H2 blocker starts working.

5. If you continue to experience frequent heartburn symptoms at night, see your health care provider. He or she will be able to diagnose whether you are suffering from just occasional heartburn, or something more serious, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, an ulcer, or a hiatal hernia. You will be able to discuss with your health care provider different treatment options, including medications such as proton pump inhibitors.

Tips to Prevent Heartburn in Pregnancy

Heartburn in pregnancy is actually quite common. Follow these simple tips to help alleviate your symptoms...

During pregnancy, common everyday ailments tend to feel worse, especially during the first and third trimesters. Heartburn is no different. Heartburn is a common ailment, and during pregnancy it tends to surface even more. Most women experience heartburn in pregnancy at some point during their nine-month journey. However, some can be affected worse than others. Fret not -- there are things you can do to limit the severity of heartburn during your pregnancy.

During the third trimester the baby grows big enough to put pressure on your stomach. This causes the acid in the stomach to reflux. This can be easily avoided, however by avoiding binging and by eating small meals. This will keep acid reflux at bay. Instead of eating three large meals, try to eat five to six smaller meals spread throughout the day.

Your sleeping position can also cause acid to reflux. Sleep with your head and torso elevated to keep the food down in your stomach. Keep yourself comfortable by putting a pillow under your head and your back. Also, try to avoid going to bed within two hours of eating. Wait at least two hours before lying down to give your body some time to digest the food. As a general rule, go to bed two to three hours after you eat to mitigate heartburn in pregnancy.

Watching your posture can help prevent heartburn from occurring. Putting pressure on your stomach can cause heartburn in pregnancy. When you sit, do so in an upright position to keep the pressure off your stomach. When you stand or walk, keep your posture erect for the same reason.

A less common way to alleviate heartburn is to wear loose clothing. (Though you probably do this already.) This will also ease the pressure in your stomach. Wearing tight clothing puts unnecessary strain on your stomach and can encourage acid to come up into your espohagus, causing heartburn in pregnancy.

Perhaps the best way to avoid heartburn all together is to stay away from foods that are known to cause heartburn. For obvious reasons, alcohol should be avoided at all costs during pregnancy. Also on the restricted list are chocolate, citrus fruits, tomato-based foods, soft drinks, coffee and acidic juices.

Sipping water throughout your daily activities as opposed to chugging it occasionally can also help. Avoid fried food, food rich in fat and vinegar as well. Large quantities of water can actually increase heartburn in pregnancy. By eliminating these foods from your daily diet, you can alleviate the symptoms of heartburn in pregnancy.

For other tips on how to get rid of heartburn visit http://www.stopheartburntoday.com We'll help you find relief from your heartburn symptoms through medications for acid reflux and natural remedies as well.

Rules To Avoid Heartburn

There are some simple rules, some foods to avoid, and a sleeping position that are proven to limit, and even eliminate GERD and the GERD effect.

Rules to follow:

1. Do not eat later than 3 hours before plan to sleep. Generally, try to eat early in the evening, and always make the evening meal a light one.

2. Reduce your weight.

3. Stop smoking

4. Do not wear very tight clothing that could constrict the abdomen

5. Generally do not eat large meals, but smaller ones, and in the evening before reclining, do not eat any food on the restricted list.

6. Before sleeping, spend a few moments at a window and do some deep breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

This will energize your nervous system and can assist in the prevention of GERD if the other measures are also followed.

Dietary Restrictions: The evening meal must not be large, or heavy, and completed no later than 3 hours before your intended sleep.