Acid reflux causes serious discomfort and pain for those that have it. There are many things you can do to help acid reflux. This article can be very helpful when combating acid reflux.
Acid reflux can be exacerbated by the way you eat. Lots of people eat too much food, and they eat it really fast. This can cause significant problems for someone suffering reflux issues. You should not eat past the point of feeling full. Slow down while you are eating to relieve your troubles. Chew slowly, and even go so far as to lay down the fork every so often.
Stress is a huge opponent of acid reflux. During stressful times, stomach acid production increases significantly, which leads to reflux. To combat this tendency, you should make every attempt to relax, before, during and after every meal. Do some meditation, yoga or deep breathing exercises.
After meals, chew on a piece of cinnamon gum. When chewing happens, the amount of saliva produced in the mouth increases. Saliva helps neutralize the acids in the stomach. In addition, people swallow more when they chew gum, which allows any acid that may be in the esophagus to be cleared away. You can use gums that come in fruit flavors as well. Mint flavored gum causes the esophageal sphincter to relax, adding to the problem.
If reflux is occurring after strenuous exercise, you might be able to find some easy relief. Try to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day. Water keeps your body from becoming dehydrated, from the inside out. Additionally, it will assist with digestion. Water can enhance your digestion and minimize the acid produced in your stomach.
A food’s relative pH doesn’t really influence whether it will produce acid when you eat it. Foods you might think are acidic could be more alkaline after you digest them. This can be confusing to the average person. It’s important to know the pH level of foods when you have problems with acid reflux.
Stay away from fatty foods. An easy way to do this is to stop eating fast food, red meat and fried foods. You can find the fat content of foods by reading the labels. Label reading is a developed skill and easy once you learn the basics.
Are you aware that a food’s alkaline is not related to its relative pH level? Lemons and other similar foods have a very acid taste, but they mostly turn alkaline after being digested. This can be quite confusing. Find out more about the actual pH of the foods you usually eat to figure out which ones you should stay away from.
You really need to incorporate some moderate exercise into your life if you suffer from acid reflux. Low-impact exercises can help lessen the chances of acid reflux occurring. The body will be upright, causing gravity to aid in digestion.
Cinnamon gum chewed after you eat can be a huge relief. This gum will produce excess saliva, to help with digestion. You will also swallow more saliva and keep the acid down. This will put your stomach acid back where it should be.
Eating less than three hours before bed should be avoided. This is important, as your stomach does not process food as well when you are sleeping versus when you are awake. You will wake up in the morning with heartburn if you eat a meal before bed.
You have to realize how certain foods like spaghetti and pizza contribute to your acid reflux. Tomato sauces can be made less acidic through the addition of sugar. It will sweeten it some, but it can make it easier to consume.
If you notice your acid reflux worsening, you may want to speak with a physician about having surgery. Fundoplication is a common procedure doctors uses for acid reflux. With this surgery, a new valve is created and this decreases the acid that finds its way into the esophagus. This is a permanent treatment for your condition and may help wipe it out entirely.
Reduce the spicy and hot foods that you eat during the day, especially when you get home from work. Stay away from peppers, jalapenos and Mexican foods. Spicy foods are a trigger for acid reflux and they cause indigestion too.
You should watch how much you drink while eating. Drinking bloats your stomach. Full stomachs lead to pressure on the esophageal sphincter. The purpose of this muscle is to hold food in the stomach and prevent it from entering the esophagus.
If you’ve heartburn at night, you should consider how you’ve been sleeping. If you lay on the right side of your body, then you need to switch to the left side. This will help the stomach acids stay where they should be.
Clearly, acid reflux has real potential to disrupt the lives of those it affects. It’s impact can be reduce greatly with knowledge. Revisit the tips and guidance found above as needed to get a handle on the condition once and for all.