Nighttime Heartburn: Don't Let it Keep You Up
by John Baker
While heartburn can attack at any point during the day, if it takes place in the night, it's particularly agonizing and bothersome. Many individuals who are confirmed to have acid reflux or heartburn are afflicted with nighttime heartburn. This only makes sense as lying down might make it easy for undigested food to move back up. For many, the lack of sleep is more harmful to their well being and mental health in the end than the actual heartburn.
One approach to help avoid nighttime heartburn is realizing at what time it's alright to get into bed. You need your tummy to be as empty as possible before laying down. The latest you are supposed to have a meal is several hours before the time when you go to bed. This way you won't have an excessive amount of digestive acid within your stomach. Additionally, you should pass up alcoholic drinks during this time of night, or possibly give it up entirely. Lots of individuals enjoy having a nightcap to make them sleepy, yet you won't be doing much snoozing when nighttime heartburn strikes.
Another situation to avoid is wearing body-hugging clothing to bed. It might press on your body and worsen your problem. You might also choose to keep your covers loose if they tend to put pressure on you. Moreover, never sleep on your stomach if you can possibly avoid it. If you are inclined to turn over in your sleep, you might have to affix a pebble on the front of your night clothes to wake you up so you can get back into the appropriate position.
Lots of individuals get a lot of relief from heartburn during the night by stacking their pillows. This will help to guarantee that their shoulders, neck and head are elevated, and it prevents the acids in the stomach from going toward your throat. Nevertheless, if you shift around a great deal while sleeping, then you'll slide off of this incline. To deal with this, acquire a special acid reflux cushion or wedge-shaped foam cushion to help you remain in place.
There are quite a few antacids that you can use when heartburn awakens you in the middle of the night. Along with non-prescription remedies in the form of liquids, pills or tablets, there are also medicines prescribed by a doctor. It's generally okay to experiment with a non-prescription antacid for a week or so. But if you are continuing to suffer from nighttime heartburn no less than twice a week, you really ought to go to see your doctor. Acid reflux and heartburn aren't things that disappear by themselves.
If you're expecting a baby, on the other hand, you don't want to use heartburn medicine needlessly. Many drugs, even non-prescription products, could harm your baby. You need to speak to your physician about the most effective technique to safely handle your situation.
About the Author:
Heartburn may not be a life threatening condition, but it can certainly cause you a lot of distress. If you want to learn more about the causes of heartburn and what you can do to stop it in its tracks, visit the Heartburn Relief site.
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Heartburn: Extinguishing The Fire Inside List Price: $17.95 Sale Price: $11.97  |
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Help is here--now and in the long term--for heartburn sufferers. This is the first book for general readers about treating and preventing one of America's most widespread medical problems. Much of the advice in Heartburn comes from the frontiers of medicine... |