Fighting Acid Reflux

Tums, Pepto-Bismol, Rolaids… Sound a little bit too familiar? Are you among millions of others that are in a constant, head-on battle with acid reflux or indigestion? In that case, try and use these doctor-approved tips which may help reduce or even actually put an end to that infuriating burn:
1) Take a chill on the food race. Where you rushing? The only thing that you “accomplish” by eating quickly is that you are producing a greater amount of stomach acid, which increases the risk of the acid making its way back up into your esophagus. When it comes to the food race, you always want to be the last to reach the finish line.
2) Any fizzy drink knocked-down in the second part of the day- including plain old carbonated water- increases your risk of night-time suffering by 31%. No. Your eyes are not tricking you, you did read right. Now, just a short lesson in biology- The gases do a great job at churning (whipping up) the acid in your stomach, which will prompt the esophageal sphincter muscle (the little door at the bottom of your esophagus) to welcome in the unwanted guests. Come-on fellows, can the coke!
3) Before getting too cozy in bed, make sure to lie down on your left side. This will allow the stomach acid to flush out at a higher speed. This tip helps with the digestion of your food as well. It’s your call.
4) One rule with acid is that it is incapable of traveling back into your esophagus as long as your head is raised when lying down. However, do not rely on your pillows! What ends up happening with pillows while sleeping is that most people slither around and end up in a curled position, which will increase the pressure being applied to their belly, which as a result, sets the food into drive mode. Therefore, what you want to do is raise the head of your bed by six inches using books or, if you choose, you can sleep on a foam wedge.
5) Taking medication? Time for change. If you are regularly taking certain tranquillizers at night, such as Vailium and Xanax, it heightens your chance of night-time heartburn. Speak to your doctor about changing your medication, which is not associated with heartburn. Another idea would be to try a natural sleep remedy.
Good luck and sweet dreams!