Acidity, indigestion of food, heartburns have become a major problem to many people nowadays. The only reason behind it is the fast running lifestyle of people and their irregular and improper habits of eating.

When we eat, the food particle passes through the food pipe also called oesophagus and reaches to the stomach where gastric juices (enzymes present in it) and acid present in stomach work on it and actual digestion take place. Sometimes you might have felt that this food particle again comes to your mouth causing heartburn from the acidic, half-digested food.

Have you ever thought why this happened? This is commonly known as heartburn and is far more common during nighttime when a person goes to bed after a heavy meal. Yes, a heavy meal and sleep just after it is the main cause of this heartburn.

This condition is uncomfortable and leads to sleeplessness and further worsening of the heartburn condition, if not treated on time.

It can also lead to ulcers and or might result in cancers in the lower portion of the oesophagus if this heartburn condition is ignored and persist for a long-time.

What Causes A Heartburn? 

Heartburn is common, and it can happen to any person, after a heavy meal once in a while, but if the problem is persistent, it needs to be looked into. Nighttime heartburns become important to be treated because it can disrupted sleep, which ultimately leads to a low energy filled day. There are many reasons and causes for a heartburn, some of which are listed below:

• Increased consumption of carbonated soft drinks
• Pregnancy
• Overweight/obesity
• High blood pressure
• Sleep disorders
• Eating heavy meals at night (especially oily and spicy foods and acidic foods like citrus fruits and chocolates)
• Medications like anti-anxiety drugs

Managing a heartburn is essential and specially the nighttime heart, which can be easily done with a few lifestyle changes.

How To Manage A Nighttime Heartburn? 

You don’t need to follow big steps; you just need to do some simple change in your lifestyle, and you are all ready to manage your heartburns at night. In fact, you can prevent them to occur again through these simple lifestyle changes.

• Sleep with a pillow to the left: A pillow ensures your heart and stomach are not at the same level, thereby preventing the reflux of acid from the stomach.   Also, as the stomach is on the left side, it is easier on the stomach when one sleeps on the left.
• Avoid late meals: This ensures that the food would have passed through the stomach by the time of hitting the bed. A gap of 2 hours between the last meal and sleep time helps here.  The chances of reflux are reduced. Also, avoid carbonated drinks, caffeinated beverages, and fatty foods, especially during the night, to reduce reflux.
• Keep a record: Different people have different triggers, which can be identified by keeping a track of your eating habits and then avoiding the triggers to reduce reflux.
• Change your eating habits: Practice to eat in a relaxed, non-hurried manner by sitting upright. Eating in a hurry produces more acid and sitting upright helps control the acid flow upwards.
• Weight loss: Obesity is a common cause of heartburn, and weight loss will help control acid reflux and will induce better sleep.
• Quit smoking: This aggravates acid production and so reducing or quitting smoking definitely reduces acid reflux (in addition to multiple other benefits.)
• Indulge in regular exercise: While regular exercise helps in food digestion and reduces acidity, working out immediately after eating should be avoided as it can cause other digestive issues.

These simple lifestyle changes help you manage your heartburns at night effectively and stop them to occur again. If The problem still persists, we recommend you, consult a doctor soon.

Stay Informed! Stay Healthy! Stay Happy! 

Thank You.