If you have ever dealt with acid reflux, you are aware of the pain and discomfort it causes. Sometimes it’s really bad, and it makes it difficult to function. Fortunately,there are some changes that can be made to help relieve the pain. Reading the following tips could help.
Consuming any type of food during a reflux spell can make it worse. Many folks eat rapidly, and consume abundant amounts. This can cause significant problems for someone suffering reflux issues. You should stop when you feel full. You need to learn to eat at a conservative pace. Enjoy your food by chewing carefully, setting your fork down in between each bite.
Try drinking in between meals instead of during them. This can really help with hunger pain, since you’re likely to find yourself thirsty. When you drink throughout the day, your stomach won’t get as upset when you do eat and acid won’t come back into the esophagus.
Do you smoke? If so, you need to quit now. Smoking exacerbates acid reflux and actually can be a cause of it. Tobacco slows down your digestion and increases your stomach acids. This causes weakness of the esophageal sphincter. So stop smoking now.
To lessen the pain caused by acid reflux, consider cutting spicy foods from your diet, including peppers and hot sauce. These foods increase the acids in your digestive system. Eliminating these foods from your diet can bring you much relief.
You can reduce symptoms of acid reflux by losing weight. Some additional weight in your midsection could be responsible for your acid reflux problem. Lose just 10% of your weight to reduce your symptoms. Losing weight is best when consuming smaller amounts of food, not by a crash diet.
Alcohol is another no-no. Alcohol is one cause of acid building up in the stomach, and it can also eat away at the stomach’s lining. Do not drink too much while out with friends if you don’t want a lot of discomfort later that night.
Eat smaller meals, more often. If you often find yourself eating just one or two large meals per day, this can actually increase your risk of acid reflux. A full stomach puts added pressure on the esophagus sphincter, which then allows acid to enter your esophagus. The stomach acid can then get into the esophagus and cause heartburn. Therefore, it is important to eat little meals instead of big ones.
Were you aware that the forming tendency of acid or the alkaline in a food doesn’t really have anything to do with a food’s pH level? Foods you believe are acidic, including lemons, are extremely alkaline after they have been digested. You might be confused by this if you have acid reflux. Learn about the pH levels of different foods if you live with acid reflux.
Acid reflux does not have to control your life at all. By remembering these simple tricks, you can reclaim your life without as much pain. Take control of your life.