Before going to talk about how to prevent heartburn and acid reflux, let’s talk about what it is and how it occurs. Sometimes, you may think heartburn is a disease. But it’s really not. Heartburn is a symptom of GERD. So what is GERD? GERD means Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

GERD occurs when acid from your stomach flows back up into the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth and stomach. That backwash or can be called it as acid reflux can irritate the lining of your esophagus. But how did this acid reflux happen?

There are bands of muscles called esophageal sphincter at the top and the bottom of esophagus. If I explain simply, how it works; it allows food to pass through the esophagus and holds the closing pressure once the food is in the stomach.

But sometimes, it releases pressure at the wrong time. At that moment, partially digested foods may move back to the esophagus. This is called ‘refluxate’. Sometimes, these partially digested foods can be acidic and cause a burning sensation.

The sensation usually begins as a burning feeling in the stomach that spreads up under the breastbone to the mid and upper chest. The pain may be triggered or made worse by bending over.

Symptoms of GERD

• Frequent heartburn
• Hoarse or raspy voice
• Wheezing and shortness of breath
• Persistent dry cough
• Feeling like you have a lump in your throat or food stuck in your chest
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pitting or discoloration of the teeth
• Feeling full too soon
• Chronic sore throat
• Trouble getting a restful night’s sleep

Can You Relieve Heartburn?

Yes. It’s easy to relieve or prevent heartburn or acid reflux. These simple but effective tips help you to do that. You have to adapt to certain changes in life. But if you are looking for solutions for Gastritis, not for heartburn, you’re reading the wrong article. We’ve already written an article about gastritis and how to treat it. You can read it by going through this link.

9 Easy Tips to Prevent Heartburn and Acid Reflux

01. Water is a Great Solution

If you’re a regular reader of our site, you know we talk about water all the time. Why is water so important to our lives? You can only survive for 3 days without water but you can survive for more days without food. I don’t know is that true, but I heard about it.

However, it shows how important water is to our lives. But for myself, I can’t live without water for at least 6 hours. It’s very uncomfortable and my head hurts and I feel dizzy when my body is dehydrated.

I don’t know about you, but many people are too lazy to drink water. You must drink at least two liters a day. And when you feel a heartburn, you can quickly drink a glass or two of water. It gives you an instant relief.

02. Ginger Root

To make a heartburn-easing tea, add 1 teaspoon of freshly grated gingerroot to 1 cup of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, and drink. Long used to quell the nausea caused by motion sickness, ginger also helps to relax the muscles that line the walls of the esophagus, so stomach acid doesn’t get pushed upward.

03. Vegetable Juice

Many women drink different kinds of fruit and vegetable juices to keep their skin beautiful. But men do not have much interest and desire for it. The juices of vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, radishes, or beets help to tame the acid in the stomach due to their alkaline nature.

You can add some salt, pepper, sugar or little amount of honey to add some flavor. If juicing vegetables is strange and unpleasant to you, you can prepare a vegetable salad.

04. Smaller and More Frequent Meals

Eat smaller, more frequent meals to minimize the production of stomach acid. When you eat too much foods at one sitting, your stomach enlarges to store the excessive amount of foods you ate. And also, when your stomach gets too much foods, it takes long to digest them all. That is, the food you eat stays in the stomach for a long time.

Eat small amounts of food at a time. It helps in digestion without any effort, it also prevents discomfort and acid reflux.

05. Foods to Avoid

Now, you know stomach acid plays a big role in heartburn. Therefore, you should avoid acidic foods. Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes), tomato-based foods such as spaghetti sauce and pizza, fatty foods, fried foods, garlic, onion are some examples for acidic foods.

06. Loose Your Weight

If you are overweight and have a belly, it can cause or contribute to GERD by increasing pressure on the stomach and increasing the likelihood of reflux.

Now, don’t worry if you don’t know how to lose weight and belly fat. We’ve already written two separate articles for both topics. Go through this link to read how to lose your weight if you’re overweight. Go through this link to read how to lose belly fat naturally.

07. Dinner Time

Sometimes, you can have your dinner very close to bedtime. But it’s not a good habit. Avoid eating or drinking for three to four hours before you go to bed.

Lying down before your stomach has emptied may cause reflux, because your stomach may still contain partially digested food and stomach acids, and by being in a horizontal position, you prevent gravity from doing its job of moving the food downward, where it belongs.

08. Avoid Tight Clothes

We talked about losing weight and losing belly fat. When you wear tight clothes, especially slim-fit t-shirts or clothes made of leather material or similar, it increases the pressure on your stomach.

09. Raise the Head of Your Bed

Raise the head of your bed by six to ten inches, using blocks. Do not merely increase the number of pillows, which will not work, because you are raising only your head, and you need to elevate your chest and stomach as well.