Featured, Health Care, Heart Support

How To Prevent Heartburn

[toc]Heartburn is known to affect a great majority of people around the world. Heartburn can be prevented with proper eating habits. Eating food items that are less spicy helps in preventing heartburn. Lowering the alcohol intake and quitting cigarette help in reducing irritation associated with heartburn.

Heartburn

Increased acidity in the stomach affects the lower oesophageal sphincter and leads to heartburn. Therefore, it is important to eat foods which do not trigger acidity and reflux. Eating relatively less quantities of food reduces pressure on the stomach. This plays an important role in preventing the heartburn effectively. Let us try to understand more about how to prevent heartburn.


Effective Ways To Prevent Heartburn

Diet

As stated above, healthy food habits help in preventing heartburn. Eat three to four meals a day. Eating to full stomach capacity can result in heartburn due to the increased acidity. Therefore, eat a little less than your stomach capacity. Reduce intake of spicy foods.

Spicy foods are known to worsen the stomach environment. Reduce chilly and pepper in your diet. Soft drinks are also known to exacerbate heartburn. Carbonated drinks can lead to heartburn. Therefore, it is wise to stop drinking soft drinks frequently.

Diet


Reducing Alcohol Intake

Our stomach contains hydrochloric acid. This helps the digestion process. Addition of alcohol to hydrochloric acid can lead to increased acidity and consequent heartburn. Therefore, it is important to reduce alcohol intake. If you are a chronic drinker, consider tapering off.

Do not drink alcohol right after your meal. Drinking beer with high alcohol content significantly affects the lower oesophageal sphincter region. Consider drinking beer with low alcohol content. This helps in preventing heartburn. Do not drink alcohol before sleep. Alcohol in stomach during sleep time is known to worsen heartburn.

Reducing Alcohol Intake


Quitting Cigarette

It is a known oesophageal irritant. Chronic smoking is known to cause redness in the oesophageal region. This increases cough and irritation which lead to heartburn. Cigarette contributes significantly to heartburn. Therefore, it is critically important to reduce your cigarette intake and consider quitting this habit.

Free radicals in cigarette smoke affect the oesophageal region and damage the digestive lining. Chronic smoking is known to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter. This is the primary cause of heartburn. Reducing the number of cigarettes per day surely helps in preventing heartburn effectively.

Quitting Cigarette


Sleep

Adequate sleep helps in correcting minor imbalances in the body. Keep your head elevated when you sleep. This helps in reducing reflux and preventing heartburn as a consequence. Keeping your head elevated helps in stopping stomach content from rising up to your oesophageal sphincter.

This prevents heartburn. To elevate your head effectively, consider using an additional pillow or elevating legs of your bed with wooden blocks. Keep a firm pillow under your head so that your head does not move while you sleep.

Sleep


Losing Weight

Our weight plays a significant role in heartburn. Increased weight is known to add pressure near the stomach region. This can lead to reflux and heartburn. Therefore, it is important to consider reducing your weight if you have a high body mass index. Consider eating low-fat containing foods. Reduce meat and dairy products. It is wise to consult with your physician to discuss the various weight-reducing exercises and programs.

Regular exercise helps in burning excess calories. Reducing weight surely helps in preventing the risk of heartburn in obese individuals. Heartburn can be prevented with the above-mentioned techniques. Proper food habits and reduced alcohol intake prevent heartburn. Reducing weight and quitting cigarette also play critical roles in preventing heartburn in the long run.

Losing Weight

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