Our digestive system will play an integral role in giving sustenance to our body. Whatever we eat will give us a good amount of calories, nutrients, and vitamins crucial to core bodily functions and keep our immune system strong. To break down food into its useable components, our digestive system will use potent stomach acids so that our body can absorb calories and nutrients through the blood.
However, there will be times that our digestive system will start “acting up,” especially when we’ve eaten too much or eaten something that’s already expired. When our stomach produces more acid than usual or starts moving back up the oesophagus, this could lead to heartburn.
Normally, our oesophagus will be a barrier when we swallow food and loosen when food or water enters the stomach. However, our lower oesophageal sphincter can get irritated, and this will result in acid reflux. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to treat heartburn. Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Making Key Lifestyle Changes to Your Diet and Health
One of the best ways of mitigating hyperacidity is by making changes to your lifestyle. It’s important to remember that hyperacidity and heartburn are not just caused by one part of your lifestyle: a multitude of health complications causes it.
Exercise is a great way of addressing health complications that might lead to hyperacidity and heartburn. One long-term technique that’s been known for helping with heartburn and hyperacidity is maintaining a healthy weight. Physiologically, excess weight can put a good amount of pressure on your torso, leading to problems with the oesophagus.
If you’re quite keen on making changes to your lifestyle that specifically treats hyperacidity, then you might want to focus on a healthy diet. Many medical professionals claim that individuals who suffer from heartburn will feel better when they eat small but more frequent meals instead of heavy ones. Most doctors would also suggest not having a heavy meal during dinner.
If you plan on having a more active lifestyle, you might also want to cut down on vices, such as drinking or smoking. Although there’s no problem with drinking moderately during social events, it’s still important to know your drinking limits. Alcohol is known for being one of the major contributors to acid reflux and heartburn. Although, the effects will differ from one person to another. For instance, someone who might have GERD will experience more severe heartburn symptoms when they have just a small amount of alcohol.
However, some individuals have formed a dependency on drinking alcohol. In some cases, long-term drinking has lead to the digestive system being more sensitive to alcohol and heartburn. Fortunately, medical experts and professionals know their treatments to stop drinking dependency among individuals. This programme is a great way of providing psychosocial intervention for individuals from all walks of life.
Avoid Lying Down
Another important thing to consider when it comes to heartburn is that you want to ensure that your stomach’s contents will stay inside the digestive system. If you plan on relieving temporary heartburn naturally, you might want to consider giving your stomach some time to work on the food after a meal. Many individuals living a sedentary lifestyle will usually lie down on the couch or in bed after eating, leading to vomiting and heartburn. The last thing that you want is your oesophagus’s lining to be irritated by stomach acid.
Proper Medication
Finally, one of the most effective ways of addressing heartburn is by using medication. Most of the time, doctors would recommend using over-the-counter antacids. This type of medication is designed to neutralize the stomach acid, which has been irritating your oesophagus, which will then provide a good amount of relief.
There are also H-2 receptor blockers such as ranitidine and cimetidine, known for reducing stomach acids. Ultimately, the medication that you will take will depend on the nature of your hyperacidity. Although its effects might not be easily “responsive,” it will last longer, helping individuals who have to work throughout the day. There are also medications like omeprazole that can significantly inhibit the production of stomach acids.
Hyperacidity isn’t the most pleasant feeling in the world. Although this shouldn’t be a cause for alarm for many individuals, this shouldn’t be ignored and should be addressed immediately. Heartburn and hyperacidity are quite easy to remedy at home. However, it doesn’t hurt to make key changes to your lifestyle and your diet. Just like with any other ailment out there, if your hyperacidity is persisting, it might be best to seek professional medical advice as soon as possible.
