Acid Reflux 101: What You Need To Know

Acid Reflux 101: What You Need To Know

Are you someone that has dealt with acid reflux, or perhaps someone you know? If the answer is yes, then you are aware of just how terrible this condition is. Having your insides burn due to conditions in your body is no picnic. The pain can be alleviated by following the tips from this article. To lessen the pain caused by acid reflux, consider cutting spicy foods from your diet, including peppers and hot sauce. These types of foods aggravate the build up of acid in the digestive tract, worsening your condition. If you eliminate these foods from your diet, you should be able to reduce your symptoms. Save your beverages for between meals, and skip them during. This will help with hunger pangs since you're more likely to experience thirst than hunger. When you drink with your meals it can cause your stomach to feel fuller, causing more acid to reach your esophagus. Certain foods trigger acid reflux. Common trigger foods include fried foods, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and chocolate. Other big contributors include acidic foods, including citrus fruits and tomatoes. Acid reflux triggers and symptoms vary with each individual, so you must be vigilant in keeping track of your triggers. Just avoid these completely to be extra safe. GERD is more likely to occur when you are overweight. All the extra weight on your esophagus can cause the muscles at the base to loosen, allowing acid up into your esophagus. Losing weight will tighten your sphincter, making the acid stay where it needs to stay. Refrain from sitting down after you consume a meal. If you lie down or recline, acid can move up your esophagus more easily as gravity isn't holding it down. You should feel better, and reduce symptoms, by sitting or standing. Pregnant women sometimes suffer from acid reflux. When the baby matures in your body, there will be more acid that develops. You can control symptoms greatly by consuming only foods that are low in acid and low in fat. Drink some green tea to neutralize the acid in your stomach and soothe your esophagus. If you have acid reflux, you can cause yourself big problems if you exercise right after eating. The food in the stomach may be pushed up into the esophagus when the lower muscles in the abdomen contract during exercising. For this reason, you need at least an hour between eating and working out.

Acid Reflux

After eating, try chewing on some cinnamon gum. Chewing facilitates the production of saliva. This neutralizes stomach acid. Also, chewing gum causes people to swallow, which helps clear away acid from the esophagus. You can also try fruity flavored gum. Mint flavored gum causes the esophageal sphincter to relax, adding to the problem. Some foods are very likely to cause acid reflux or make existing reflux worse. Caffeine beverages, chocolate, fried items and alcohol can all be acid reflux triggers. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and other acidic foods are also big contributors. However, triggers are an individual thing so you need to read your own body to just what is not working for you. Just avoid all these foods to be safe. Steer clear of alcohol if you suffer from acid reflux. Besides causing acid to begin to build up and eat away at your stomach lining, alcohol worsens acid reflux. If you are planning an evening out, commit yourself to having just one drink. If you are active and experiencing acid reflux, you may just need to make one simple change. Enjoy a tall glass of water. Water helps keep you hydrated. Water also facilitates digestion. Helping your food digest with water will decrease the acid production that occurs in the stomach. Try to wait until between mealtimes to have drinks. If you have a full stomach, your esophageal sphincter is compressed. When you esophageal sphincter is compressed, your food and stomach acid can go into your esophagus. There are specific foods that are very likely to cause acid reflux for virtually anyone who suffers from this condition. You'll want to limit consumption of these foods to prevent acid reflux. Watch how much coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, milk and spicy foods that you consume. Keep your acid reflux at bay by limiting your alcohol intake. Alcohol can cause your stomach to produce more acid than needed. If you do want to drink it, try drinking a glass or two and find a type that doesn't trigger your reflux. You should reduce your stress as much as possible. Stress is a major cause of producing too much stomach acid which can cause inflammation and heartburn. Figure out why you are feeling anxious and cope with it as soon as you can. There are surgical options available if acid reflux symptoms are too much to tolerate. Fundoplication is the best procedure, as it works to create an entirely new valve that is able to cut the acid in the esophagus. This procedure is a tool used to permanently get rid of acid reflux.

Moderate Exercise

Eliminate hot and spicy foods from your diet late in the evening. Jalapenos, other peppers, chili and Mexican food are good examples of these. These foods often trigger your acid reflux. Choose exercise which keeps you standing upright. This type of exercise can improve acid reflux symptoms for several reasons. Your stomach can digest foods better when you remain in an upright position. Moderate exercise can also help you to lose weight and reduce symptoms. Moderate exercise is okay when you have acid reflux, but intense exercise can be detrimental. Try not to drink very much during meals. Liquid can crowd your stomach and cause acid to rise. When your stomach is overly stuffed, it places added pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter muscle. Do not put too much stress on this muscle if you want to prevent acid reflux. It is common for pregnant women to experience acid reflux because their baby is pressing down on their stomach. Your doctor can advise you on treatments available to keep it at bay. Exercise daily if you suffer from acid reflux. Exercise helps decrease your acid reflux symptoms. Exercise keeps the body in good working order, including the digestive tract and stomach. If your stomach is upset after exercising, you may have worked out too hard. The tendency of a particular food to form acid when digested has little correlation with the initial pH of that food. Foods that seem to be acidic, like lemons, are actually highly alkaline after digestion. You might be confused by this if you have acid reflux. If you have acid reflux, learn about food's pH levels. Carbonated or caffeinated beverages can cause acid reflux. Cola, black tea and coffee are acids your stomach doesn't need. Additionally, these types of drinks will irritate your stomach lining and cause more pain. Choose water or herbal teas such as green tea instead.

Acid Reflux

Be very careful with the beverages you drink if you suffer from acid reflux. Beverages with caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks tend to cause acid reflux. Choose water over all else whenever possible. Never take it upon yourself to make a diagnosis of reflux. If you have symptoms of acid reflux, you need to talk to your doctor. Many other conditions, like ulcers and even heart disorders, mimic acid reflux disease. Your physician can give you some tests to determine whether you have acid reflux. If you have chronic acid reflux, you need to limit your alcohol intake. Things like wine and beer can cause issues for the esophagus, leading to additional acid reflux problems. You can have the occasional drink, however try to avoid it in excess if you want to avoid acid reflux. Eating less than three hours before bed should be avoided. The reason this is helpful is because your stomach is less efficient at processing food when you are unconscious. When eating right at bedtime, you might end up with acid reflux in the morning. Chew gum that is cinnamon or fruit flavored after eating. Gum can help create saliva to allow for proper digestion. The saliva will help to neutralize the acid creating your reflux. Don't chew mint-flavored gum, as it can actually make your acid reflux worse. Carry gum with you for eating on the run. The next time you or a loved one suffers from acid reflux, you'll know what to do. In the past, all you could do was suffer through it. Now you can finally manage your acid reflux. Armed with the arsenal of included tips, acid reflux will be gone from your life forever. Tight clothing can increase your risk of reflux. Choose clothes that fit you and do not wear belts or restrictive clothing such as pantyhose. Restrictive clothes over the stomach cause a great deal of gastric distress.