Heartburn is a common digestive issue that can be uncomfortable and disruptive to daily life. It happens when stomach acid leaks back into the esophagus, burning the throat and chest.
While there are over-the-counter medications available to treat heartburn, many people prefer to explore natural remedies first. In this blog, we’ll discuss some effective home remedies for heartburn that can help alleviate symptoms and provide relief.
From simple dietary changes to natural supplements, we’ll cover a range of options that you can try at home to manage your heartburn symptoms.
Contents
- 1 Home Remedies For Heartburn
- 1.1 Maintain a dietary diary and stay away from trigger foods
- 1.2 Avoid Eating Too Much Or Too Rapidly
- 1.3 Avoid Eating Late At Night Or Before Going To Bed
- 1.4 Consume Non-Citrus Fruits Like Banana
- 1.5 Put On Comfortable Clothing
- 1.6 Modify your sleeping position
- 1.7 Try Getting Active
- 1.8 Avoid Smoking
- 1.9 Reduce Tension
- 1.10 Chew Gum
- 2 Conclusion
Home Remedies For Heartburn
Maintain a dietary diary and stay away from trigger foods
Keeping a food journal can be a helpful tool in identifying trigger foods that may be causing your heartburn symptoms. Certain foods and beverages are known to worsen acid reflux and heartburn, such as spicy or fried foods, citrus fruits, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol.
By tracking what you eat and when you experience heartburn, you can pinpoint which foods and drinks are causing your symptoms and make necessary changes to your diet.
Once you have identified trigger foods, the next step is to avoid them. This can be challenging, especially if you enjoy these foods or if they are a regular part of your diet. However, making simple substitutions can go a long way in reducing heartburn symptoms.
For example, try replacing acidic fruits like oranges and tomatoes with low-acid options like bananas or cucumbers. Swap out fried or spicy foods for grilled or baked options, and limit your consumption of coffee and alcohol.
These acid reflux home remedies help you deal with your problem and assist you to live a healthier life.
Avoid Eating Too Much Or Too Rapidly
When you consume large amounts of food, your stomach produces more acid to digest it all, which can then reflux into your esophagus, causing discomfort. Similarly, when you eat quickly, you swallow more air, which can also exacerbate heartburn symptoms.
To avoid overeating, try to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day rather than a few large meals. This could help reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces and make it easier to digest your food.
Additionally, it’s essential to take the time to eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. This can help prevent the swallowing of excess air and give your stomach more time to digest your food before acid production increases.
Incorporating mindful eating practices such as paying attention to hunger and fullness cues, and avoiding distractions like TV or phones during meals can also help prevent overeating and slow down your eating pace.
Combining different methods to enhance your digestion can help overcome this issue as well. Thus, add fruits like pineapple to your diet as one of the several pineapple benefits may include positive effects on digestion due to its bromelain content, which could potentially alleviate both diarrhea and heartburn while also improving digestive function.
Avoid Eating Late At Night Or Before Going To Bed
Eating late at night gives your body less time to digest your food before lying down. Try to finish your final meal two to three hours before going to bed.
Snacking before bed, especially on fatty or spicy foods, can trigger heartburn symptoms. Instead. Thus, try to consume lighter snacks like fruits, vegetables, or whole-grain crackers.
As per a study, if you are having a shorter dinner-to-bedtime interval, it might cause acid reflux or problematic heartburn.
Physical activity can cause stomach acid to flow back up into the esophagus, particularly if you engage in high-impact exercises like running. To avoid this, wait at least two to three hours after eating before engaging in any physical activity.
This will give your body enough time to digest your food properly and reduce the likelihood of heartburn symptoms during exercise.
Consume Non-Citrus Fruits Like Banana
Eating foods that are high in acidity can exacerbate these symptoms, while consuming alkaline foods can help neutralize the acid in the stomach, providing relief from heartburn.
Ripe bananas are a great example of an alkaline food that can help alleviate heartburn symptoms. Bananas have a pH level between 4.50-5.20, which is considered alkaline, and they also contain natural antacids that can help neutralize stomach acid.
Additionally, bananas are a good source of dietary fiber, which can help regulate digestion and prevent the buildup of acid in the stomach. The resistant starch content of unripe bananas may serve as a prebiotic and could assist in developing more good bacteria in the gut.
You can also incorporate bananas into your diet by adding them to smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt, or eating them as a snack between meals.
Put On Comfortable Clothing
Tight-fitting clothing, especially around the waist and abdomen, can put pressure on the stomach and increase the risk of acid reflux. Loose-fitting clothing does not constrict the abdomen, which can reduce the pressure on the stomach and prevent acid reflux.
Tight-fitting clothing can compress the digestive tract, which can slow down digestion and cause food to sit in the stomach for longer periods, increasing the likelihood of acid reflux.
Wearing loose clothing, on the other hand, allows for better digestion. Heartburn can be uncomfortable, and wearing tight clothing can make it worse. Moreover, along with heartburn wearing loose-fitting clothing may also be one of the most effective home remedies for nausea as it could reduce some pressure around your stress, making you feel relaxed and at ease.
Modify your sleeping position
Sleeping with your head elevated can help to reduce the risk of heartburn symptoms. You use a wedge pillow which is a triangular-shaped pillow that can be placed under your head and shoulders to elevate your upper body.
If you don’t have a wedge pillow, you can prop up the head of your bed by placing blocks or risers under the legs of the bed frame. Aim to raise the head of the bed by 6 to 8 inches.
Moreover, sleeping on your left side could also help reduce heartburn symptoms. This is because the esophagus enters the stomach on the right side, so sleeping on the left can help keep stomach acid from flowing back up.
However, avoiding sleeping on your stomach can increase the pressure on your esophageal sphincter which make worse symptom afterward.
Try Getting Active
If you’re overweight, losing weight can be an effective home remedy for managing your symptoms. When you carry excess weight, it puts pressure on your abdomen, which can cause stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus, leading to heartburn.
Among the various benefits of exercise, the most notable ones include daily engagement in physical activities that could help in improving mood while also improving sleep quality.
Losing weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise can reduce the pressure on your abdomen, allowing your digestive system to function properly. It can also help reduce inflammation in your body, contributing to heartburn and other digestive issues.
Avoid Smoking
Smoking is one of the most significant risk factors for heartburn and other digestive issues. Nicotine in cigarettes can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which is a muscle that controls the opening and closing of the esophagus. Weak LES can cause heartburn.
If you smoke and experience heartburn, quitting smoking may help alleviate your symptoms.
Not only can it improve your digestive health, but it can also have numerous other health benefits. If you’re having difficulty quitting smoking on your own, consider seeking help from a healthcare professional or support group.
Reduce Tension
Stress is a common trigger for heartburn, as it can cause the muscles in the esophagus to relax. Reducing stress can, therefore, be an effective way to manage heartburn symptoms.
Frequent exercise helps lower stress and enhance general health. The majority of the week, try to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise.
Yoga and meditation have been shown to reduce stress and improve relaxation. Breathing deeply and slowly can help lower stress and anxiety. When you’re feeling anxious or stressed out, try taking a few deep breaths.
Getting enough sleep each night is crucial since not getting enough can make stress levels worse. Minimum 7-8 hours of sleep needed.
Try progressive muscle relaxation or visualization techniques to help reduce stress.
Chew Gum
Chewing gum is one of the simplest and most effective home remedies. When you chew gum, it stimulates the production of saliva, which can help neutralize stomach acid and reduce the symptoms of heartburn.
Additionally, the act of chewing can help to increase the frequency of swallowing, which can help to push stomach acid back down into the stomach where it belongs.
In addition, it could aid in developing a successful way of how to eat less by making you gain control over unnecessary snacking and consuming beverages with no nutritional value.
When choosing gum for heartburn relief, look for sugar-free options that contain natural ingredients like xylitol, which can help to reduce the production of acid in the stomach.
You can also opt for flavors like mint or ginger, which can have a soothing effect on the digestive system.
Just be sure to avoid gums that contain high levels of sugar or artificial sweeteners, which can worsen heartburn symptoms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while heartburn can be uncomfortable and disruptive, many natural home remedies can provide relief. From simple dietary changes like avoiding trigger foods and eating smaller, more frequent meals, to natural supplements and lifestyle modifications, there is a range of options available to manage heartburn symptoms.
It’s important to note that if your heartburn symptoms persist or worsen, you should seek medical attention to rule out any underlying conditions. However, for occasional heartburn, these home remedies can be a safe and effective way to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life.