Coping With Acid Reflux: What You Must Know

Coping With Acid Reflux: What You Must Know

You are not guaranteed to be safe from acid reflux. About a third of the US population suffers from it. With such a large prevalence in our society, it is shocking that most people have no idea how to combat it. The piece that follows includes lots of ideas for managing the problem. It is time for you to quit smoking. Smoking is very aggravating to acid reflux. It also slows digestion and increases acid production in the stomach while slowing down the production of saliva. It weakens the sphincter of the esophagus too. This is why you should quit today. Drink only a few hours before or after a meal. It's more likely that you are thirsty rather than hungry, and this will settle your hunger pangs. When you drink throughout the day, your stomach won't get as upset when you do eat and acid won't come back into the esophagus. To thicken the mucuous lining of the stomach, try slippery elm. This helps protect your stomach from the acid within. A lot of folks find that a couple of tablespoons mixed into some water following dinner and before bedtime gives them relief. When you're at your optimal weight there is a less of a chance that you will get GERD. Your sphincter muscle at the lower end of the esophagus loses its effectiveness with extra fat pressing on your stomach. By losing weight and trimming your midsection, your sphincter will tighten up as well, which will help to prevent acid reflux. Consume more water if you want to help your acid reflux symptoms. Drink more water. Water helps keep you hydrated. It may also help food digest better. Water can enhance your digestion and minimize the acid produced in your stomach.

Acid Reflux

Avoiding acid reflux often means avoiding stress. Stress increases stomach acid which increases inflammation and heartburn. Discover the cause of your anxiety and take it out of your life. Stress can cause acid reflux. Stress increases the amount of stomach acid and makes acid reflux more likely. After each meal, do something you find relaxing. Read a book or go for a walk, for example. Eat small meals throughout the day. Having a couple of large meals a day will put you at risk for acid reflux. You can experience acid reflux when you overeat because the food can come back up in your esophagus. Stomach acid can then make its way back up into your esophagus. Rather than eating a few large meals, eat smaller meals more often. Some foods tend to cause acid reflux more than others. Fried foods, caffeinated beverages, chocolate, and alcohol are some common trigger items. You should also use caution with foods that are acidic, such as citrus and tomatoes, as they can also trigger acid reflux. Triggers are different for everyone, and therefore you may require trial and error before knowing what causes your pain. Just avoid all these foods to be safe. Moderate activity can actually help control the acid reflux. Make sure you keep it simple and at a moderate level for best success. Strenuous exercise is aggravating to the digestive tract, which can cause acid reflux, while moderate exercise does the opposite. Make sure you stay upright so the acid remains in your stomach. Moderate exercise helps you lose weight too. If you are a smoker, consider quitting. Acid reflux is made worse by nicotine because it stimulates stomach acid production. Avoid quitting cold turkey, as the added stress could actually intensify the problems with reflux. Quit slowly instead. Take care of your weight if you are carrying extra pounds. Being heavy will contribute to acid reflux. Excess weight can cause stomach acid to come up through your esophagus. Ultimately, this will harm your esophagus and cause you great discomfort. If you want to keep your weight under control, then diet and exercise are key. Millions of people live with acid reflux. If you are one of those people, it's time to take the initiative to address your problem. Use the tips above to live a life free of acid reflux. If you suffer with acid reflux, you need to identify, and avoid, your trigger foods. Certain foods are most likely to cause acid reflux. These include high-fat foods, caffeine, citrus, spicy foods, tomatoes, garlic, carbonated beverages, mints, and alcohol. Everyone has different triggers, so if some of these items don't bother you, you can keep enjoying them.