Have you ever experienced the feeling of heartburn before? If you have, then you know the feeling very well. You will feel a burning sensation in your chest and throat, followed by a slight hiccup home remedy for heartburn.
Experiencing the feeling of heartburn is uncomfortable and inconvenient for anyone. It may be triggered mainly by the spicy, fatty, or acidic foods you eat. Or maybe you have a chronic condition with many potential causes. Such as gastroesophageal reflux disease or (GERD) for short. It can also cause heartburn.
Whatever the cause, what can you do when heartburn strikes? We will go over some quick tips and home remedy for heartburn to get rid of heartburn.
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What is heartburn?
We know about the burning sensation of heartburn; millions of people experience it. But what is it actually, and why does it occur? We may know about heartburn, but not about acid reflux. Acid reflux happens when stomach acid gets pushed up into the esophagus. It is the tube that carries food and drinks from the mouth to the stomach.
Some reflux usually shows no symptoms or burning feelings in the throat and chest. They are normal and harmless. But some occur too often and burn the inside of the esophagus. An estimated report shows that almost 14–20% of all adults in the US have reflux. They usually experience acid reflux in one or another form.
Heartburn is known to be the most common symptom of acid reflux. It is a painful, burning feeling in the chest or throat. Researchers estimate that more than 7% of Americans experience heartburn daily.
Of those who regularly experience heartburn, 20–40% happen to be diagnosed with GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or (GERD) is known to be the most severe form of acid reflux. In the US, GERD is the most common digestive disorder.
Common symptoms of heartburn and reflux include an acidic taste at the back of the mouth. We are often having difficulty swallowing the food that we eat. Other symptoms include tooth erosion, inflammation in the sinuses, asthma, and a cough.There are many natural ways that can reduce your acid reflux and heartburn. We will discuss some home remedy for heartburn. These are all backed by scientific research.
Home remedy for heartburn
Here we will go over some simple and easy to make home remedy for heartburn. They are:
- Trying ginger
Ginger is a natural ingredient that we can find very easily. It can help to get relief from nausea problems. People believe it may be worth trying for heartburn, too. So, people have been using it as a folk remedy for heartburn for centuries.You can add diced or grated ginger root to your favorite soups and other stir-fry recipes. You can also try ginger tea because it helps to reduce heartburn. To make ginger tea, firstly steep raw ginger root, dried ginger root, or ginger tea bags in boiling water.
Though it’s probably best that we avoid ginger ale. Because carbonated beverages are a common heartburn trigger. Most brands of ginger ale are made with artificial flavoring rather than the real thing.
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Mixing baking soda with water
Baking soda is a heartburn remedy that you may have ready in your kitchen. Baking soda can neutralize your stomach acid and calm some episodes of heartburn. To reduce heartburn, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water. Then drink the baking soda mixed water very slowly. One should drink anything slowly when one has heartburn.
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Licorice supplements
Like ginger, licorice root is another folk remedy that’s been used to treat heartburn. Research estimates that it might help increase the mucous coating of your esophageal tube. It may protect your esophagus from the damage caused by stomach acid.You can also take Deglycyrrhizinated licorice or (DGL) for short. It is a supplement that contains licorice. But that’s been processed to remove much of its glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin is a compound that can cause adverse side effects.
Be aware that overeating licorice or DGL may raise your blood pressure. It can also lower your necessary potassium levels and interfere with certain medications. Be sure to consult with your doctor before taking licorice or DGL supplements.
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Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another home remedy used by some people to reduce heartburn. They believe that drinking it may neutralize stomach acid and treat heartburn.
According to one researcher’s suggestion, drinking diluted apple cider vinegar after a meal may help alleviate heartburn. However, these effects didn’t reach significance and satisfactory levels. So more research and study need to be done on this.
If you decide to try this remedy, be sure to maintain the proper suggestions. Just dilute the apple vinegar with water and drink the mixture after your meal.
Habits that can reduce heartburn
Apart from home remedy for heartburn, maintaining some habits can also help to relieve heartburn. They are:
- Loosen clothing
Heartburn occurs when the contents of your stomach rise into your esophagus. This is the place where stomach acids can burn the tissue.
You may develop heartburn issues because tight clothing is compressing your stomach. If that’s the case, then you should loosen the belt on your pants. Also, you can lose your dress or whatever else is compressing your stomach.
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Maintain proper posture;
Your posture can also contribute a lot to reducing heartburn. If you’re sitting or lying down most of the time, try standing up more straightly.
A straight posture puts less pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter or (LES) for short. (LES), it is a ring of muscle that helps to prevent stomach acid from rising into your esophagus.
- Elevate your upper body
If you experience heartburn and lay down, it will make the heartburn worse. To reduce heartburn, you should adjust your sleeping surface and raise your upper body.
The goal is to elevate your body starting from the waist up. But just lifting your head with extra pillows isn’t usually enough. If you already have an adjustable bed, set it at an angle that can provide you comfort. If your bed isn’t adjustable, then use a wedge pillow and change the angle of your sleeping surface.
- Avoid smoking
We are well aware that smoking is bad for our health. Apart from diabetes, heart attack, high blood pressure, smoking contributes to heartburn as well. So, if you are a smoker and often experience heartburn. Quit smoking as soon as possible.
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Chew gum
Chewing gum provides many benefits that we don’t know. Especially the gum that contains bicarbonate appears to be especially useful in reducing heartburn. It stimulates saliva production and swallowing. This can probably help dilute and clear stomach acid from your esophagus.
Research in 2014 states that chewing gum for half an hour after meals may reduce heartburn.
- Don’t overeat
The place where the esophagus opens into the stomach, there is a ring-like muscle. This muscle, known as the lower esophageal sphincter or (LES), acts as a valve. It prevents the acidic contents of the stomach from going up into the esophagus. It opens itself when you swallow, belch or vomit. Otherwise, it should stay closed.
When people overeat, the muscle feels too much pressure. This continuous pressure weakens the muscle and causes it to malfunction. As a result, stomach acid squeezes through the opening and causes heartburn.
A solution to help minimize heartburn is to avoid eating large meals. It seems that larger meals may worsen heartburn and reflux symptoms.
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Lose weight
The diaphragm is a muscle located right above your stomach. It strengthens the lower esophageal sphincter or (LES). This (LES) muscle prevents excessive amounts of stomach acid from leaking up into the esophagus.
However, if you have lots of belly fat, it will put too much pressure on your abdomen. The pressure may rise so high that the (LES) might get pushed upward. Away from the diaphragm’s support. This bad condition is known as a hiatus hernia. Hiatus hernia is the main reason why obese people and pregnant women face heartburn and acid reflux risks.
In this case, losing weight should be one of your top priorities. Controlled studies suggest that weight loss may relieve heartburn and reflux symptoms.
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Follow a low-carb diet
Scientists suspect that undigested carbs are one of the most common causes of acid reflux. Impaired carb digestion can cause bacterial overgrowth and elevated pressure inside the abdomen. Too many undigested carbs in the digestive system make you spew, gassy, and bloated more often.
Scientific research and evidence suggest that low-carb diets may relieve acid reflux symptoms. A few small studies also indicated that low-carb diets improve reflux symptoms.
- Limit alcohol intake
Smoking and drinking alcohol may cause a rise in the severity of heartburn.
Drinking alcohol aggravates symptoms by increasing stomach acid and impairing the esophagus’ ability to clear itself of acid.
Studies indicate that moderate alcohol intake may even cause reflux symptoms even in healthy individuals. Further studies also show that drinking wine or beer increases heartburn symptoms.
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Avoid drinking too much coffee
Studies show that coffee that contains caffeine can temporarily weaken the lower esophageal sphincter and increase acid reflux risk.
So, we should avoid drinking too much coffee. However, drinking decaffeinated coffee shows reduced reflux symptoms compared to regular coffee.
- Avoid raw onion
Raw onions have the ability to disrupt the lining of the esophagus and cause worsened heartburn.
Belching more often is a common symptom of heartburn. If you experience frequent belching. It means that more gas is producing due to the high amounts of fermentable fiber in onions.
One study showed that eating a meal containing raw onion significantly increased heartburn in people with acid reflux. However, eating an identical meal that didn’t have onion showed no worsen symptoms of heartburn.
- Limit carbonated beverage intake
One important and observational study found that carbonated soft drinks increase acid reflux symptoms. Carbonated beverages contain carbon dioxide gas in them. It increases the amount of acid escaping in to the esophagus and belch more often.
Controlled studies also show that drinking carbonated water temporarily weakens the (LES) compared to drinking plain water.
So, experts advise people with GERD sometimes to limit their intake of carbonated beverages.
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Limit citrus juice intake
Citrus juice probably doesn’t cause acid reflux or weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). It is possible that some of its constituents irritate the esophagus’ lining and make your heartburn temporarily worse.
A study on 400 GERD patients shows that citrus juice worsened their symptoms. 72% of the patients reported that orange or grapefruit juice worsened their acid reflux symptoms. Orange juice with a neutral pH can also aggravate symptoms.
- Eat less chocolate
Though the evidence is weak, researchers advise GERD patients to avoid or limit their consumption of chocolate.
One small study showed that consuming 4 ounces or (120 ml) of chocolate syrup weakened the lower esophageal sphincter. Further studies found that drinking a chocolate beverage increased the amount of acid in the esophagus.
Further studies are on the way to reach a reliable conclusion if chocolate contributes to raising heartburn or not.
- Don’t Eat Within Three Hours of Going to Bed
Health experts advise people with acid reflux to avoid eating within the three hours before they go to sleep. Although the evidence to back it up is still lacking.
One study included GERD patients. A late evening meal showed less or no effects on acid reflux. Compared to having dinner before 7 p.m.
However, an observational study found that people who ate close to bedtime had significantly greater reflux symptoms when they went to sleep. This also depends on the individual.
More studies are needed on this before reaching a definite conclusion about the effect of late evening meals on GERD.
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Don’t Sleep on Your Right Side
Several studies show us that sleeping on your right side may worsen heartburn symptoms at night.
The reason is not entirely apparent why this happens. However, when you lay on your right side, stomach acid covers the (LES) or lower esophageal sphincter. This leads to the risk of acid leaking through it and causing heartburn.
Though this suggestion may not seem practical because most people change their position while they sleep. Still resting on your left side might make you more comfortable as you fall asleep.
Conclusion OF home remedy for heartburn
We hope we were able to provide you the home remedy for heartburn. Studies also show that simple dietary and lifestyle changes can significantly ease heartburn symptoms.
