which side should i sleep on with heartburn

Sleep position can exacerbate acid reflux. Too much food too close to bedtime can leave your stomach full, and when moving to a prone position, the acid in your stomach can travel up. Also, think about portion size and timing of meals and snacks. If you experience heartburn at bedtime, think about what you ate for dinner or during the evening. Spicy or fried foods, foods with too much grease, acid foods like tomatoes or chilies, coffee, tea, chocolate, garlic, citrus, and vinegar can all be problematic. The foods we eat, and when we eat them, is a large factor. It helps to understand what is causing your acid reflux in order to counteract the contributing factors. It may be caused by some medications or by physical conditions like a hiatal hernia. What Causes Acid Reflux and GERD?Īcid reflux is very common in both adults and children and can be caused by lifestyle choices like food and sleep position. Untreated, GERD can lead to more serious conditions like esophageal cancer. If there is inflammation, irritation, lesions, or nodes it can indicate that stomach acid is traveling up into the esophagus. Regurgitation of food into the throat and mouthĭoctors test for GERD with an endoscopy, a small tube with a camera inserted down the throat to examine the lining of the esophagus.With GERD, stomach acid is regularly regurgitated all the way into the mouth causing a host of additional symptoms.Īlthough it is possible to have no symptoms, commonplace indicators of GERD are: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD is a more advanced, more frequently occurring, version of acid reflux. If you start experiencing the symptoms of acid reflux on a regular basis, and specifically more than several times a week, the doctor may test for GERD.

“Common symptoms of GERD include a chronic dry cough, heartburn, or inflamed gums.” “Don’t fret if you’re experiencing acid reflux occasionally, but if you start experiencing acid reflux on a regular basis or several times a week, you may need to get tested for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD),” says Dr. You can have burning or pressure that radiates into a large area of the chest, and it can be a very painful, enormous distraction if you’re trying to sleep. You can have a bitter or sour taste from the acid that is quite unpleasant. You may experience an occasional cough or a sore throat if the acid moves all the way up into the throat and mouth area. In more detail, acid reflux can have a number of symptoms in addition to heartburn. Further, heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux and not synonymous with it.

The pain from acid reflux can mimic the pain of a heart attack, but they are not connected. This is where the term “heartburn” comes from, referencing the pain in the heart area. It reacts with pain, a sensation of burning, or pressure in the chest. The esophagus has a more delicate lining than the stomach and is sensitive to the acid. Acid reflux is an uncomfortable condition in which stomach acid travels up into the esophagus.

Which side should i sleep on with heartburn