Seven Great Tips to Reduce Acid Reflux Symptoms

By: Fallon Cullerne

Our overall health can be influenced by lifestyle choices to a surprising degree. Acid reflux is one of those areas, and if your doctor has diagnosed this condition, you will want to investigate how you can control the symptoms as much as possible to live more comfortably. The disease won't easily go away, unfortunately, but its effects can be tamed and sometimes prevented by making a few lifestyle changes. The following seven tips are a great place to start.

1. Eat Smaller Meals

Many people eat two or three big meals each day, but experts believe that eating five or even six small meals is preferable. This can certainly prevent overeating at any one meal. Gastric pressure increases with a full stomach, and often leads to acid reflux symptoms. Choosing to eat smaller meals, and eating more slowly, can help avoid this.

2. Stop Bedtime Snacking

For at least two hours before retiring to bed, do not eat or drink. If you are one of the lucky ones who enjoy an afternoon nap, you can try doing so in a chair. Lying down with a full stomach can cause the contents of your stomach to be pressed against your lower esophagus, which increases the chances of acid reflux.

3. Choose Foods Carefully

There are many common beverages and foods that can trigger acid reflux. They do so either by increasing acid production and gastric pressure, or by relaxing the lower esophagus muscle. Obviously, foods that trigger heartburn in you should be avoided. These foods vary, but for many people, spicy foods, citrus fruits and juices, and coffee can cause irritation in the esophagus lining. Avoid eating these foods for dinner, to reduce the chances of heartburn at night. If you are unsure which foods tend to cause heartburn for you, keep a heartburn record for a week or two to help keep track of foods you need to avoid.

4. Avoid Smoking or Alcohol

Smoking is implicated in dozens of health problems and diseases, and acid reflux is among them. It stimulates the production of acid, among other things. And alcohol does the same thing, along with relaxing the lower esophageal muscle and potentially allowing acid reflux to occur. If you wish to drink alcohol in very small amounts, you might be okay, but always gauge your reactions. Obviously, if you start a journal or food record, this would be a good thing to keep track of in there.

5. Sleeping Patterns

The basic laws of gravity apply here. If you sleep with your head higher than your torso, the contents of your stomach are more likely to stay where they belong. Purchase a wedge-shaped pillow to keep your head and shoulders elevated. You can also try propping the legs of your bed with bricks or blocks to create an incline. Adjustable beds are also excellent choices.

6. Wear Loose Clothing

Tight-fitting clothing will constrict the area around your stomach. As a result of this squeezing action, the food in your stomach is forced up against the lower esophagus, and acid reflux will likely occur. Choose comfortable clothes with loose or adjustable waistlines.

7. Get More Relaxed

Even though stress hasn't been specifically linked to heartburn, it has been known to lead to the behaviors that can trigger your acid reflux symptoms. Learn and implement good relaxation practices to help alleviate stress, and reduce your likeliness of taking part in stress-related heartburn behaviors.

So, that was not so bad, was it? Those seven tips can do a lot for relieving acid reflux symptoms. Although there is no single known cause, a variety of small contributing factors can result in problems. So why not take these small steps, as you are able, and see how far they can help you in relieving your problems.

Article Source: http://www.retirementlivingarticledirectory.com

Author Fallon Cullerne is a guest columnist for a variety of well-known online magazines, on alternative health care as well as health product topic areas.
This and other unique content men health articles are available with free reprint rights.

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