Five Tips to Avoid Heartburn

Heartburn is defined as a painful and burning sensation just below the breastbone associated with regurgitation of gastric acid. One of the scariest parts of heartburn symptoms is that they often mimic those of a heart attack. Heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart itself, but since the pain is right around that area it is called heartburn. Heartburn is one of the most common complaints that an individual has when they go to the doctor. In fact, acid reflux and heartburn medications are one of the most frequently written prescriptions by doctors. If you can avoid it, you should try to stay away from daily prescription medication for heartburn, since it has several side effects and can actually lead to problems with not having enough acid in the stomach. Here are five tops for avoiding heartburn without using prescription medication.

Five tips to avoid heartburn symptoms

1. Eat smaller meals- You are much better off eating small meals more often than you are eating a couple of huge meals daily. Our digestive system is not designed to take in as much food at one time as many people eat, and smaller and more frequent meals are much easier on the system.

2. Avoid lying down after meals- Lying down soon after taking a meal is a very quick way to get heartburn. If you have a lot of undigested food in your stomach and you lie down then it is very easy for the undigested food to back up into the esophagus and cause acid reflux, or heartburn symptoms. As a rule of thumb, do not lie down for at least two hours after eating a meal.

3. Sleep with your bed propped up slightly- Putting something such as a couple of small wooden blocks under the top of your bed frame will help you quite a lot. An even better option for those with severe heartburn is a wedge pillow which shapes your body into a good position for your stomach to not allow food to back into the esophagus while you sleep.

4. Chew a couple of papaya digestive enzymes after each meal. At first I was skeptical about whether these would help or not, but they most certainly do and they are actually quite tasty! These are very inexpensive and can be found at any major drug store or health food store.

5. Drink 1/4 to 1/2 cup of aloe vera juice before a meal to help avoid heartburn. Aloe vera juice can relieve heartburn symptoms and it can also help prevent heartburn symptoms. This can be found in health food stores and is also fairly inexpensive.

Natural remedies for heartburn is really the way to go. Many people who have heartburn suffer without knowing how to take care of it. There are ways to avoid heartburn, you just have to put them into practice!