Know Squat About Acid Reflex? Read This Article!

Know Squat About Acid Reflex? Read This Article!

Eating is one of life's true pleasures, but if you deal with acid reflux, it may be something you dread. The information given in this article will teach you how to conquer your condition. You can begin looking forward to delicious meals once you get your reflux under control. GERD is more likely to occur when you are overweight. At the end of your esophagus is a sphincter, and excess fat can press down on this and cause it to relax. Losing weight and getting trim can help keep your stomach acid in your stomach, where it belongs. Maintaining a healthy body weight reduces your acid reflux symptoms. The sphincter between your stomach and esophagus can become relaxed if there is too much pressure on it, for instance from extra weight. Losing weight and getting trim can help keep your stomach acid in your stomach, where it belongs. Stop smoking as soon as possible! Smoking can cause acid reflux by corrupting your digestive system. It slows down your digestive process, increases stomach acid, and slows down your saliva production. The esophagus becomes weak when you light up too. This is the reason you should quit today. If you smoke, you should quit. Smoking can cause acid reflux by corrupting your digestive system. It slows digestion, increases stomach acid, and slows down your saliva production. It weakens the sphincter of the esophagus too. That's why it must be controlled. Stress is a major contributor of acid reflux disease. When you are stressed, your body naturally produces more stomach acid. Find a relaxing activity to pass the time after every meal. Engage in yoga or some form of meditation that helps you to relax. Acid reflux commonly occurs during pregnancy. Your growing baby can crowd your stomach, which can cause acid to be pushed up against your esophagus. Avoiding high-acid, high-fat foods is a must. You could also enjoy gentle herb teas that will help reduce acid but will not harm your baby. You should consider quitting smoking if you are a sufferer of acid reflux. Stomach acid production goes up when you smoke while saliva production goes down. However, stopping smoking cold turkey can actually worsen your acid reflux as well. Instead, you need to try to quit a little at a time. Try to reduce stress at all costs to reduce acid reflux. During stressful times, stomach acid production increases significantly, which leads to reflux. When you finish a meal, exercise. Meditate or try light yoga. Even watching your favorite television show can be relaxing and stress reducing. Keep cinnamon gum on you at all times, and eat a stick of it after every meal. Your salivary glands make more saliva when you chew. Stomach acids are neutralized from saliva. Chewing also makes you swallow more, which helps to clear the esophagus of excess acid. You may find fruit flavored gum gives you the same effect. Do not, however, chew gum with mint in it. Mint can actually cause acid reflux, so you may just be making things worse. You can get acid reflux from a variety of foods. You should avoid fat and greasy foods, tomatoes, chocolate, coffee and alcohol. Sometimes foods that are acidic, such as citrus fruits or tomatoes, can also make things worse. Every person has their own list, so you have to determine what most bothers you at mealtime. Try to steer clear of all of these foods to be safe. Somtimes acid reflux is extremely painful and causes the sufferer to believe a heart attack is in progress. Don't ignore really bad chest pains. This may be a heart attack. Call for medical assistance, right away. Do not take chances when it comes to chest pain. The results can be life threatening. Slippery elm is an herbal supplement that can thicken the mucous membranes that line the stomach. By coating your stomach, the acid is less likely to cause damage to the esophagus. Put a tablespoon or two into water after your meals and right before you go to sleep to maximize its effectiveness. Prop up your bed. You can do this by putting a brick under the headboard. You can also prop your head up with pillows. Try to adjust the head of your bed at least six inches. By elevating your chest and head, you prevent stomach acid from traveling upward to your esophagus. You must stay upright when eating and for at least a few hours after your meal. Lying down directly after a meal can allow acid to travel up your esophagus with much greater ease. You should feel better, and reduce symptoms, by sitting or standing. Don't eat highly fatty foods. No fried chicken, potato chips or french fries for you! Be sure to read the labels of any foods you purchase. Watch out for fatty foods. Reflux sometimes feels like a heart attack. Be sure to attend to chest pain right away. They can be a sign of heart failure. Call a doctor as soon as you can for help. You do not want to suffer serious health problems because you misdiagnosed yourself. Alkaline levels and acid forming tendencies in food have little to do with pH levels. Certain foods like lemons actually are alkaline post-digestion. This can be quite confusing. However, if you have acid reflux, you need to educate yourself on food pH. When you have acid reflux, you can benefit greatly from raising the top of your bed up. You can elevate the head of your bed using bricks, concrete or wooden blocks. Raise the head of the bed about six inches. You'll be less likely to have acid enter your throat when you sleep at night if you have your head and torso elevated. Do not eat within three hours of sleeping. For instance, if you eat at 7 P.M., don't go to sleep until 10 P.M. Laying down puts pressure on your abdominal muscles and stomach, and it is best that your food is fully digested. Thus, you will likely experience an acid reflux flare. It is very hard to savor your food when you feel certain it will come back to haunt you! Use what you've just learned to recover from your acid reflux disease. You should be able to have a good time while eating. Take off that excess weight. Excess weight can cause acid reflux. Unneeded pressure is applied to the stomach, creating heartburn and reflux. Just losing a few pounds will help.