Who hasn’t bolted upright in the night, awakened by a sudden and terrible burning sensation in the pit of their stomach? Whether you indulged in some overly spicy chili, or overdid it on those late-night leftovers, these quick heartburn remedies will soothe your fiery stomach and help you get back to sleep!
1. The first thing you’ll want to do when you’re awakened by heartburn pain, is to stand up. This helps keep the acid at bay while you go and get a full glass of cool water.
2. Drink the whole glass of water, and follow it with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and half a glass of water. Be careful though, if you have high blood pressure or are pregnant, this can cause water retention or increase your blood pressure.
3. DON’T drink milk or suck on mints to relieve heartburn. Milk might feel nice and cool going down, but it actually contains fats and proteins that cause your stomach to secrete MORE acid and make your heartburn worse! Mints, while they may feel soothing, actually relax the small valve between your esophagus and stomach, whose purpose it is to actually KEEP acid at bay! When this valve is relaxed, more acid can seep up and aggravate heartburn symptoms!
4. This is going to sound strange, but downing a teaspoon of vinegar can help soothe heartburn immediately! Why give your stomach MORE acid when it already seems to have enough, you ask? Sometimes, heartburn is caused as a result of too little acid, and vinegar helps quell indigestion by giving your stomach a little extra “juice” (no pun intended!) to do its job!
5. Certain foods can cause nighttime heartburn, including: soda pop or beverages with caffeine (which you shouldn’t be drinking before bed anyway!), alcohol, garlic, chocolate (sorry!), citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato-based products. Avoiding these types of food can help ease your indigestion if you frequently find yourself awakened with that intolerable burning!
6. Eating a banana each day works like an antacid to soothe heartburn. If you’re already stricken with indigestion, eating pineapple or papaya (or drinking the juice) can help settle your stomach naturally. Some people also claim that eating a teaspoon of mustard (yuck!) can work immediately.
7. Avoid eating at least two hours before you go to sleep. Those late night snacks can keep your stomach busy all night and prevent you from easing into a deep, restful sleep. You may also find that sleeping on your left side or sleeping at a somewhat upright angle can keep acid down where it belongs.
If you are awakened by heartburn on a regular basis, or the pain is severe, or if you have heartburn with vomiting, you’ll want to consult your doctor immediately as it may be a sign of a more serious condition such as an ulcer. Above all, avoid spicy, fatty and caffeine-containing foods before bed, and you should be able to drift off to sleep easily.
Showing posts with label Heart burn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart burn. Show all posts
Home Remedies For Heartburn
It's good to know that many home remedies for heartburn are often based around foods that are readily available in many kitchens. However, understanding just what is going on when heartburn hits will often help to minimize and cure heartburn in itself.
Heartburn happens when the strong acid in the stomach, that is used to digest and break down the foods we eat, finds its way up the oesophagus (food tube). It is this acid that burns the lining of the oesophagus, causing the familiar and unpleasant sensation of burning. There is a muscle that is suppose to keep the acid in the stomach where it belongs, but if for whatever reason this muscle malfunctions, then it leaves the way open for the acid to escape into the oesophagus.
One of the most common home remedies for heartburn has to be the eating of soda crackers. The soda cracker remedy has been handed down through the generations for one reason, it works! As long as the crackers are salt free, since salt increases the sodium in the body, which further influences the amount of acidity in your stomach, soda crackers are a convenient and useful snack that aids digestion. The crackers contain bio-carbonate soda which works by lessening the acid. Incidentally, for the same reasons, a mixture of water and baking soda is also a quick and simple aid to digestion.
Some, who sufferer with heartburn, also swear by eating a handful of blanched almonds. This works because almonds have properties that neutralize the symptoms of heartburn and calm the unpleasant burning sensation. What also works in exactly the same way as almonds is eating boiled plain brown rice. Not only that, but plain brown rice is also one of those home remedies for heartburn that falls into the category of foods that are 'easy and simple to digest'. Any foods that are easy and simple to digest will often help diminish the risk of heartburn because not so many digestive juices and acid is needed to break down these foods.
The other home remedies for heartburn that are often used, are centered around the avoidance of practices that will encourage the acid from the stomach finding its way into the oesophagus. These remedies start by doing some obvious things like not eating too close to bedtime and so give the body time to fully digest the foods that have been eaten before retiring. Also simply elevating the head when asleep is another remedy that can be successfully used. Sleeping in this position will naturally help gravity keep the acid down in the stomach where it belongs.
A general rule of thumb where heartburn is concerned, is to keep an eye on your diet and remain at a healthy weight. Drinking plenty of water between meals, rather than during meals, which can lead to the stomach over filling and so encourage the escape of the acid back up the food tube.
Heartburn happens when the strong acid in the stomach, that is used to digest and break down the foods we eat, finds its way up the oesophagus (food tube). It is this acid that burns the lining of the oesophagus, causing the familiar and unpleasant sensation of burning. There is a muscle that is suppose to keep the acid in the stomach where it belongs, but if for whatever reason this muscle malfunctions, then it leaves the way open for the acid to escape into the oesophagus.
One of the most common home remedies for heartburn has to be the eating of soda crackers. The soda cracker remedy has been handed down through the generations for one reason, it works! As long as the crackers are salt free, since salt increases the sodium in the body, which further influences the amount of acidity in your stomach, soda crackers are a convenient and useful snack that aids digestion. The crackers contain bio-carbonate soda which works by lessening the acid. Incidentally, for the same reasons, a mixture of water and baking soda is also a quick and simple aid to digestion.
Some, who sufferer with heartburn, also swear by eating a handful of blanched almonds. This works because almonds have properties that neutralize the symptoms of heartburn and calm the unpleasant burning sensation. What also works in exactly the same way as almonds is eating boiled plain brown rice. Not only that, but plain brown rice is also one of those home remedies for heartburn that falls into the category of foods that are 'easy and simple to digest'. Any foods that are easy and simple to digest will often help diminish the risk of heartburn because not so many digestive juices and acid is needed to break down these foods.
The other home remedies for heartburn that are often used, are centered around the avoidance of practices that will encourage the acid from the stomach finding its way into the oesophagus. These remedies start by doing some obvious things like not eating too close to bedtime and so give the body time to fully digest the foods that have been eaten before retiring. Also simply elevating the head when asleep is another remedy that can be successfully used. Sleeping in this position will naturally help gravity keep the acid down in the stomach where it belongs.
A general rule of thumb where heartburn is concerned, is to keep an eye on your diet and remain at a healthy weight. Drinking plenty of water between meals, rather than during meals, which can lead to the stomach over filling and so encourage the escape of the acid back up the food tube.
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