10 Lifestyle Modification Tips to Prevent GERD
Posted: Jul 28 in Lifestyle & Behavior by Staff
A number of home remedies and lifestyle changes have been proven to help prevent Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) for thousands of people who suffer from the disease. Often, what helps relieve one person’s heartburn may not touch the burning in the chest that another person feels, so it’s important to find out what works for you.
Here are 10 lifestyle modification tips you can try to prevent your symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
- Avoid large meals – Large meals put pressure on your stomach and lower esophageal muscle (LES), making you more likely to have acid reflux.
- Refrain from eating known food triggers – Certain foods are more likely to trigger heartburn, like fatty, spicy, and acidic foods. Onions, chocolate, mint, coffee, and carbonated drinks cause acid reflux in many people as well.
- Avoid lying down after eating – Try waiting at least three hours after eating before lying down.
- Elevate your head – People who suffer from nighttime heartburn can elevate their head six to eight inches to have gravity help to keep gastric acids in the stomach.
- Avoid tight-fitting clothes – Pants or belts that are too tight put pressure on the stomach, which may cause acid to reflux up into the esophagus.
- Lose weight – Obesity is a common cause of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). If you are having trouble losing weight on your own, seek out an Albany, GA weight loss specialist.
- Stop smoking – Nicotine may relax the LES muscle on some people. Additionally, nicotine can impact the ability of saliva to sweep away acid in the esophagus.
- Reduce alcohol intake – Similar to the effects of smoking, alcohol may relax the LES muscle. In some people, it can cause muscle spasms too.
- Examine your medications – Some medications exasperate acid reflux and heartburn. These include some non-steroid anti-inflammatory medications, calcium channel blockers, painkillers, sedatives, potassium, antibiotics, asthma medications, allergy medications, and biphosphonates.
- Experiment with a gluten free diet – Some people experience acid reflux as a result of foods containing gluten.