Not many things feel worse than symptoms of acid reflux. You may feel as if you are losing your sanity due to the extreme burning and pain caused by acid reflux. If you experience acid reflux, you certainly aren’t the only one. Others refuse to live with this, and you can join them with the application of the provided tips.
Drink before and not during meals. It’s more likely that you are thirsty rather than hungry, and this will settle your hunger pangs. Further, if you drink in between meals, you will likely see that the stomach will become far less distended at mealtime, and acids will not travel back into the esophagus.
Slippery elm helps coat your stomach and reduces the impact of acid reflux on the stomach lining. This supplement is very effective at protecting your stomach from harmful stomach acid. Put a tablespoon or two into water after your meals and right before you go to sleep to maximize its effectiveness.
You should consider quitting smoking if you are a sufferer of acid reflux. Nicotine can cause acid reflux to worsen. Quitting cold turkey can cause stress and worsen your symptoms. Work on quitting gradually.
If you have acid reflux and you are overweight, shed some pounds. Obesity is a major cause of acid reflux. Lose just 10% of your weight to reduce your symptoms. Don’t be silly with excessive dieting schemes, instead reduce the size of your meal portions.
Try moderate exercise that keeps you upright, such as walking. This type of exercise helps with acid reflux for many reasons. First, being upright keeps acid down where it belongs. Second, walking can help you reduce your weight which may be causing your acid reflux. Light to moderate exercise helps acid reflux. Extreme exercise can make it worse.
When you suffer from acid reflux it is always best to eat smaller meals throughout the day. If you often find yourself eating just one or two large meals per day, this can actually increase your risk of acid reflux. You can experience acid reflux when you overeat because the food can come back up in your esophagus. As a result, stomach acid rises into the esophagus, causing acid reflux. Consider eating smaller meals more often, over the course of the day.
It is time to lose weight. Too much weight on your stomach can seriously aggravate reflux symptoms. Belly fat increases pressure on the stomach, almost urging it to reflux. Even a few pounds lost can bring relief.
Slippery elm lozenge are a good natural remedy to try. Made of slippery elm bark, these lozenges coat the digestive system with a protective substance. It can also help relieve any coughing reflux may cause. These can be purchased at many drug stores and at most health and natural food stores.
Try avoiding trigger foods if you’ve got acid reflux. Citrus, onions, tomatoes, mint, alcohol and carbonated drinks are some of the many culprits. Of course, different people have different trigger foods, so if these do not cause problems, you can certainly still have them.
Do not eat foods that have a very high fat content. An easy way to do this is to stop eating fast food, red meat and fried foods. Check out nutritional labels for fat content.
Don’t drink too much water or any other beverage while eating. Drinking too much during meals actually puts more stress on your stomach. The food will take up more room in your stomach and trigger acid reflux. Try taking a few sips of water when eating, and save the full glasses for between meals.
It is important that you refrain from eating at least three hours before bedtime. You have to be able to digest before lying down. When you eat close to bedtime, you will probably be awoken from heartburn.
Slowly consume your meals to alleviate your acid reflux. Take time to enjoy the taste of your food. Also avoid eating too much at any one meal and stop when you are full, not stuffed.
To lower your risk of reflux, limit your liquid intake at meals. When you drink and eat it can make your stomach fuller. When this happens, pressure is applied to the bottom of the esophagus’ sphincter, increasing reflux. You should drink between two meals instead of during your meals.
Avoid drinking a lot of liquid during a meal. This can add to the amount of food inside your stomach and make it distend. This situation places pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter. That is the muscle intended to keep food in the stomach and away from the esophagus.
Acid reflux should not be taken lightly. Acid reflux not only causes you to feel uncomfortable, it can actually damage your esophagus. But you are capable of stopping it. Use the advice in this piece and keep reflux from causing further harm.