Ways to Prevent Heartburn Associated with Acid Reflux

Heartburn is a problem for many of us. Those of us who experience persistent, frequent heartburn 2 or more times a week might be suffering from acid reflux disease. We are all different but there are many common heartburn triggers. What we eat, such as foods that are spicy, high in fat, or acidic, can often bring on heartburn.

There are certain foods and drinks that you should think twice about if you don't want to be facing heartburn later. These foods are often referred to as trigger foods. Some may contain large amounts of acid. There are actually foods that relax the lower esophageal sphincter allowing acid to escape into the esophagus.
Some examples of important foods to limit are things like chocolate, fatty and fried foods, and carbonated drinks.

Many of us experience heartburn at night when we are lying down. This is because the body is and that makes it harder to keep acid in the stomach. The good news is that there are some tips to help with the nighttime effects of acid reflux. First you should try to elevate the the head of your bead around four to six inches. To do this you could try putting a 4x4 piece of wood under the legs at the head of your bed. You can also try a product designed for this very reason which is a wedge shaped piece of foam that will help you sleep on an incline. This can be found in the pillow section at most stores. Regular pillows or adding more pillows won't really help though because they only raise your head not your entire upper body which can put more pressure on your esophagus. Also try sleeping on your left side to make gravity work for you. When you are lying down, sleeping on your left side can help stomach contents pool away from your esophagus. Sleeping on your right side is more likely to aggravate heartburn symptoms of acid reflux disease. Also try to avoid eating two to three hours before bedtime.

Going out to eat can also be a situation where we find ourselves more likely to come out with a heartburn episode later on. So here are a few ways to stay on a better course. One of the main things is to forget about fried foods. I know they seem to be everywhere and very tempting, but you can choose a healthier option for most fried foods, for example stick with the baked potato instead of fries. Anything baked, broiled, roasted or steamed is the much wiser decision. Also try to avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a major trigger for most people when it come to heartburn and acid reflux disease. Often when having mixed drinks the problem is made even worse because we mix alcohol with acidic fruit juices. Finally try to kick the coffee habit. Now I know that this is a major challenge because I too am a coffee junkie, but it is a major heartburn trigger!

I truly hope that these tips can help you manage your heartburn and acid reflux troubles.