It's amazing how the lifestyle choices you make can affect your overall health. If you have been diagnosed with acid reflux, it's important to find out how to control your symptoms and begin living a more comfortable life. Acid reflux disease will never go away, but the effects can be reduced and the symptoms can be prevented through simple lifestyle changes. Try these seven tips before taking more drastic actions:
1. Control Meal Size
If you typically eat three big meals a day, try adjusting your schedule to taking six small daily meals instead. This can help to prevent you from overeating. When your stomach gets too full, there is an increased amount of gastric pressure. Overeating is a major cause of acid reflux flare-ups, so stick to smaller meals and give your stomach a break. Eating more slowly can also help to reduce your discomfort.
2. No Bedtime Snacks
Don't eat or drink anything for at least two hours before going to bed. If you typically take an afternoon nap, try doing it in a chair. Lying down on a full stomach will cause the contents of your stomach to press against the lower esophagus, increasing the chances of acid reflux.
3. Choose Foods Carefully
Acid reflux can be triggered by a host of common foods and beverages. They either increase acid production, and thus gastric pressure, or relax the lower esophagus muscle, leading to the reflux. Foods that trigger your own heartburn should certainly be avoided. Write down a list of what you know cause this in you, perhaps spicy foods, juice or citrus foods, coffee, and so on. These irritate the esophagus lining in many people. Especially at dinner, avoid these foods and you can avoid nighttime heartburn. If you don't have a list of heartburn suspects, keep a record for a couple of weeks to keep track of foods to avoid.
4. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking
Another smart step in reducing acid reflux is avoiding alcohol consumption. Alcohol has two problems: it creates stomach acid, and relaxes the muscle of the lower esophagus. When relaxed, that muscle can allow stomach contents to reflux back into the esophagus. Consuming very small amounts of alcohol might be okay, but keep an eye on your reactions. And stop smoking as soon as you can if you have digestion problems. Along with dozens of other health concerns, smoking stimulates production of stomach acid, and of course that leads to greater acid reflux symptoms.
5. Sleeping Patterns
Gravity is the main force at work here. If you keep your head higher than your waist, the contents of your stomach will more likely stay put. Consider buying a large, wedge-shaped pillow, to elevate your head and shoulders. You can also purchase an adjustable bed, to create an incline, or prop the legs of your current bed to accomplish the same thing (though less safely.)
6. Stay Comfortable
Tight clothing can constrict your stomach, squeezing food in your stomach against your lower esophagus. Of course, we know where this will lead! So loosen that belt, or buy clothing with adjustable waistlines or elastic support. Be free and loose, and your stomach will thank you.
7. Get More Relaxed
Researchers are unsure about the relationship between heartburn and stress. However, stress may be a factor in acid reflux disease, especially as a precursor. Regardless, reducing stress may help people to also reduce the likelihood that they will turn to comfort foods or drinks that will cause heartburn.
Some health conditions aren't caused by a single factor; they're the result of many factors making up one big problem. Trying various lifestyle changes can add up to big relief from chronic acid reflux.
