I used to get heartburn almost every night. I was using over the counter medications that helped somewhat, but I was concerned about the possible side effects. About 6 years ago, I lost 45#. I found that even though I felt better in many ways, I still needed some digestive support. My search for help with that ultimately led to help with the heartburn as well. But, I'll talk more about that later.
I have found a few things that helped tremendously. Easy things that anyone can learn to do. First of all, let's look at what heartburn actually is. When the muscle between your esophagus and your stomach relaxes, it can allow stomach acid to escape, causing a burning sensation. There are a few ways to keep this from happening.
What you eat makes a difference
First of all, you might want to avoid foods that can cause this muscle to relax. Some common culprits include:
High-fat foods
Raw onion
Raw garlic
Citrus fruits
Carbonated drinks
Cocoa powder
Chocolate
Caffeine
How you eat also plays a part
Eat small meals, with snacks in between, when needed. Eating a large meal forces your stomach to work overtime to process it, stretching and pushing food and acid upward. It’s also important to eat slowly, which also helps with digestion.
When you eat makes a big difference
A great rule of thumb is to stop eating 3 hrs before bedtime. Why?
Two things are needed for your digestive system to process your food – time and gravity. When you lie down, gravity pulls whatever's in your stomach up toward your esophagus-- the tube that connects your throat and stomach. By giving yourself a few hours to be upright and moving around before you go to bed, you allow your food to digest, thereby reducing the risk of having any content left in your stomach to come back up.
I hope these tips are helpful. I have made most of these changes in my own life, and now enjoy going to bed without the nightly pain from heartburn. I mentioned at the beginning that I was looking for digestive support after losing weight. What I found helped my body to digest my food the way it is designed to do. If you'd like to find out what I use almost every day to help my digestive system to work better, contact me and I'd love to chat with you to see if it could help you too. Or, you could join my facebook group, Easy Everyday Wellness to find other ways to support your wellness.
