When treating heartburn, and working to prevent it from occurring, knowing your best options will prove invaluable. Everyone has their own homebrewed ways of fighting off heartburn, but this is one area where you should seek out known, proven benefits (as managing heartburn can save you from heart disease and other major health issues down the line). To set you on the right path, and alleviate you from the frustration of frequent heartburn episodes, here are eight common treatments and prevention methods for heartburn:
1. Eating Your Dinner Earlier- Methods for Heartburn
Especially if you work a busy job, it can be difficult to eat until late into the night. However, if you suffer from heartburn, eating too close to bedtime is a near surefire way to cause irritation and heartburn to occur. To avoid this unfortunate happening, be sure to eat a minimum of three hours before you plan to go to bed. Not only will this help prevent heartburn, but it will significantly boost your body’s abilities to properly digest food in a healthy manner.
2. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most common, and effective, ways to keep your body in a peaceful, well-regulated state. If you’re under or overweight, heartburn is not only more frequently experienced, but will hit you more intensely. Not only this, but you might be at a higher risk of developing a hiatal hernia, which will only exacerbate the problems you’re experiencing when you get heartburn. Additionally, home fitness routines are a guaranteed way to lead a happier, more heart-healthy lifestyle, so be sure to implement them if you’re able to.
3. Cut Down on Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is incredibly grating to the stomach, throat, and heart. Especially when it comes to acid reflux, alcohol can be a nightmare, but those who suffer from frequent heartburn should be aware of alcohol’s irritating effects as well. Simply drinking lighter alcoholic beverages will help, but if you drink frequently or in large quantities, you are likely to experience frequent heartburn episodes until you cut back significantly.
4. Raise the Head of Your Bed
Gravity is one of the most natural possible allies you have in fighting the occurrence of heartburn. Not only will raising your head up higher at night allow your body to digest food better, but it can reduce acid reflux symptoms that will lead to or intensify heartburn episodes. Most doctors recommend placing a block at the top of your bedpost that will help raise your head off the bed by a height of 6-to-8 inches.
5. Antacids
Antacids such as Tums can be useful for regulating heartburn, and for preventing an upset stomach or acid reflux episode from resulting in heartburn. However, be careful, because some more intense antacid treatments have negative side effects, and some (such as Zantac) have even been taken off shelves by the FDA for being linked to causing cancer. If you’ve found yourself violently ill or diagnosed with a deadly disease after taking Zantac, be sure to seek out qualified, knowledgeable legal help from the professionals at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers.
6. Limit High Fat Foods in Your Diet- Methods for Heartburn
Fried foods, fatty foods, and extra-cheesy dishes are a nightmare for your heart and are near-certain to cause heartburn if you’re already suffering frequent episodes. Alongside this, these foods (when eaten too frequently) make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. To keep yourself on a path toward less frequent heartburn, cutting down on these delicious, but often highly unhealthy foods is a must.
7. Avoid Raw Onions- Methods for Heartburn
Raw onions are one of the most heartburn-inducing, irritating foods you can ingest. Acid reflux sufferers will already know the pain raw onion can cause as well. To help keep your heart feeling calm and unbothered, opt for cooked onions whenever possible. If you still love raw onion, simply eat it in small quantities, and try to do so only before the evening comes about, as this will help decrease the chance they trigger heartburn or acid reflux.
8. Don’t Over-Caffeinate
Whether you love coffee, Diet Coke, or some other caffeinated beverage, you’ll know that it can be difficult not to over-indulge (especially during a long workday). However, the heartburn-inducing effects of caffeinated beverages are widely documented. The grating, harsher nature of coffee makes it an especially irritating choice, so be sure to avoid over-caffeinating if you do not want to deal with heartburn in the latter half of your day.
Live Your Life Heartburn-Free
A life free from the oppressive nature of frequent heartburn episodes is worth fighting for. Not only will your life be more comfortable, but your heart will stay healthy for many, many more years if you can prevent frequent heartburn episodes. By following these important eight steps, you’ll find yourself experiencing heartburn less than you have in years, allowing you to return to a happy, healthy lifestyle.
