Although you may have been diagnosed withgastroesophagealreflux disease (GERD), that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your life to its fullest. There are ways to control GERD that won’t necessarily make your acid reflux go away, but it may help alleviate the symptoms enough so that you forget that they are there.
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Treating GERDIf you have persistent heartburn or other symptoms of GERD, it is important to see your healthcare provider before you try to self-treat your condition. Although you can live a long life with GERD, GERD that remains untreated can lead to serious complications like esophageal ulcers or even cancer. Your healthcare provider can help you find the best way to manage your condition and prevent long-term problems.
Treating GERD
If you have persistent heartburn or other symptoms of GERD, it is important to see your healthcare provider before you try to self-treat your condition. Although you can live a long life with GERD, GERD that remains untreated can lead to serious complications like esophageal ulcers or even cancer. Your healthcare provider can help you find the best way to manage your condition and prevent long-term problems.
How to Live With Chronic GERD
Although it is possible to lead a normal life with GERD, people with this condition often feel that theiracid reflux symptomsinterfere with their quality of life.This is why it is important to see a healthcare provider rather than trying to self-treat your symptoms.
Your healthcare provider can help you find theright treatment plan, which may include prescription medications. In some cases, GERD can be cured permanently withsurgerysuch asNissen fundoplication.
You may also be able to find relief with home remedies and other strategies that reduce the amount ofacid refluxyou experience. Often, what youdon’t do with GERDis as important as what you do.
GERD SymptomsCommon symptoms of GERD include:HeartburnRegurgitation of stomach contentsPain in the upper chestNauseaDifficulty swallowingCough or hoarseness
GERD Symptoms
Common symptoms of GERD include:HeartburnRegurgitation of stomach contentsPain in the upper chestNauseaDifficulty swallowingCough or hoarseness
Common symptoms of GERD include:
Eat Smaller Meals
By eating smaller meals, your stomach is less full and will produce far less stomach acid. This, in turn, reduces gastric pressure. According to a 2019 review of studies published in theJournal of Thoracic Disease,a large meal size combined with a higher caloric intake is tacitly linked to increased esophageal acid levels and abdominal distention in people withgastroesophageal reflux disease.
A very full stomach also places physical pressure on the valve between your stomach andesophagus, known as the loweresophageal sphincter(LES). This allows more gastric acid to seep from the stomach into the esophagus.
To reduce the risk of GERD while meeting your daily nutritional needs, eat six smaller meals equally spaced throughout the day rather than the usual three.
Eat Slowly
When you eat, chemical messengers are sent from the stomach to the brain, signaling when food is there. When the stomach is full, the brain responds with sensations of satiety (simply put, feeling full and satisfied).
However, it can take up to 15 minutes for those signals to reach the brain. By eating quickly, you risk overfilling the stomach before the messenger signals reach the brain. By eating slowly, your brain has time to catch up with your stomach and tell you when it is full.
To slow down the pace of your eating, follow these few simple rules:
If all else fails, try eating with your non-dominant hand. Unless you are ambidextrous, this simple fix is almost guaranteed to slow down the pace of a meal.
2:04Avoid These Things If You Have GERD
2:04
Avoid These Things If You Have GERD
Avoid Food Before Bedtime
Late-night snacking is never a good idea if you have GERD. When you lie flat after eating, gravity forces the contents of your stomach closer toward the LES (situated near the top of the stomach). If you eat a lot of food, the pressure against the LES increases even further.
To avoid this, avoid eating or drinking at least two hours before bedtime. If you have severe GERD symptoms, you may want to stop four hours beforehand.
Research suggests that people who eat a meal within two hours of bedtime are almost 2.5 times more likely to experience reflux while sleeping.
Elevate Your Head While Sleeping
When you sleep with your head higher than your stomach, gravity can help to reduce pressure against the LES and keep the contents of your stomach from refluxing into the esophagus. You can elevate your head in several ways:
The same general approach applies to naps. Some people find that napping in a chair can helpprevent heartburnbetter than if napping in bed.
Avoid Trigger Foods
Alcohol is especially problematic. Not only does it increase the production of stomach acids but it relaxes the LES, allowing acid to reflux into the esophagus.
It can sometimes be hard to know which foods are causing GERD symptoms. If this is the case, consider keeping a heartburn journal (similar to adiet journal) in which you record the foods you eat and the degree of heartburn you experience after eating.
By ranking your heartburn on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 representing mild heartburn and 10 representing severe and debilitating heartburn), you can characterize your symptoms more accurately and pinpoint which foods are causing the most trouble. This will help you develop aheartburn dietthat may be able to prevent or reduce symptoms.
Use Antacids Correctly
Antacids can be a very effective means of treating acute heartburn. With that said, popping antacids whenever you have the slightest hint of heartburn can end up doing more harm than good.
The overuse of antacids can cause constipation, diarrhea, change in stool color, and stomach cramps. Products containing calcium may even cause kidney stones.
In addition, antacids can interfere with the activity of certain drugs, includingHIV medications,thyroid hormones, and blood thinners likewarfarin. To avoid interactions, an antacid may need to be taken anywhere from two to four hours before or after certain drugs.
Since antacids can take an hour or more to start working, your healthcare provider may suggest taking an H2 blocker like Zantac (famotidine) in combination with an antacid. If you still don’t find relief, your healthcare provider may recommend aproton pump inhibitorlike Prilosec (omeprazole).
What is the safest acid reflux medicine for long-term use?There is some concern that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may increase the risk of long-term health problems. For this reason, your healthcare provider may not recommend PPIs unless you have daily symptoms. For occasional heartburn, it may be better to choose an H2 blocker or anantacidlike Tums or Rolaids.
What is the safest acid reflux medicine for long-term use?
There is some concern that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may increase the risk of long-term health problems. For this reason, your healthcare provider may not recommend PPIs unless you have daily symptoms. For occasional heartburn, it may be better to choose an H2 blocker or anantacidlike Tums or Rolaids.
Avoid Tight Clothing
Clothing that fits tightly around the waist can squeeze the stomach, forcing food upward toward the LES. They can also increase the likelihood ofacid refluxeven if you don’t have GERD.
As a general rule, it is best to avoid tight-fitting belts, slenderizing undergarments, yoga pants, and tight trousers if you have GERD. Opt instead for loose-fitting garments, untucked shirts, and suspenders rather than belts.
Relax
Although stress does not cause GERD, it can makeGERD symptomsworse.
At times of stress, people are more responsive to reflux symptoms, making it seem as if stress is the trigger. By stopping, taking a few deep breaths, and relaxing, you can ease the anxiety that often accompanies acute GERD episodes and experience a more rapid easing of symptoms.
Stop Smoking
On top of that, smoking slows digestion, allowing food to remain in the stomach longer, while decreasing saliva production needed to neutralize stomach acids. Over time, smoking can also decrease the overall tone of the LES.
Quitting may not be easy, but the benefits invariably outweigh the risks. Quitting cigarettes will not only reduce your risk of GERD but decrease your likelihood of developing certain cancers, includingesophageal cancer.
Summary
If you have frequent heartburn, it is important to see your healthcare provider. They will help you develop a treatment strategy that can improve your quality of life and reduce your risk of long-term complications.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alshammari SA, Alabdulkareem AM, Aloqeely KM, et al.The determinants of the quality of life of gastroesophageal reflux disease patients attending King Saud University Medical City.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9505. doi:10.7759/cureus.9505Johns Hopkins Medicine.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GER & GERD.Newberry C, Lynch K.The role of diet in the development and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease: why we feel the burn.J Thorac Dis.2019;11(Suppl 12):S1594-601. doi:10.21037/jtd.2019.06.42Shibli F, Skeans J, Yamasaki T, Fass R.Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep: An important relationship that is commonly overlooked.J Clin Gastroenterol.2020;54(8):663-674. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001382Pan J, Cen L, Chen W, Yu C, Li Y, Shen Z.Alcohol consumption and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Alcohol.2019;54(1):62-9. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agy063National Health Service.Antacids.Harvard Health Publishing.Proton-pump inhibitors: What you need to know.Sandhu DS, Fass R.Stress and gastroesophageal reflux disease.Proc Shevchenko Sci Soc Med Sci.2018;54(2):10-5.Kohata Y, Fujiwara Y, Watanabe T, et al.Long-term benefits of smoking cessation on gastroesophageal reflux disease and health-related quality of life.PLoS ONE.2016;11(2):e0147860. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147860Additional ReadingNess-Jensen E, Hveem K, El-Seraq H, Lagergren J.Lifestyle intervention in gastroesophageal reflux disease.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;14(2):175-82.e1-3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2015.04.176.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alshammari SA, Alabdulkareem AM, Aloqeely KM, et al.The determinants of the quality of life of gastroesophageal reflux disease patients attending King Saud University Medical City.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9505. doi:10.7759/cureus.9505Johns Hopkins Medicine.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GER & GERD.Newberry C, Lynch K.The role of diet in the development and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease: why we feel the burn.J Thorac Dis.2019;11(Suppl 12):S1594-601. doi:10.21037/jtd.2019.06.42Shibli F, Skeans J, Yamasaki T, Fass R.Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep: An important relationship that is commonly overlooked.J Clin Gastroenterol.2020;54(8):663-674. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001382Pan J, Cen L, Chen W, Yu C, Li Y, Shen Z.Alcohol consumption and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Alcohol.2019;54(1):62-9. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agy063National Health Service.Antacids.Harvard Health Publishing.Proton-pump inhibitors: What you need to know.Sandhu DS, Fass R.Stress and gastroesophageal reflux disease.Proc Shevchenko Sci Soc Med Sci.2018;54(2):10-5.Kohata Y, Fujiwara Y, Watanabe T, et al.Long-term benefits of smoking cessation on gastroesophageal reflux disease and health-related quality of life.PLoS ONE.2016;11(2):e0147860. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147860Additional ReadingNess-Jensen E, Hveem K, El-Seraq H, Lagergren J.Lifestyle intervention in gastroesophageal reflux disease.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;14(2):175-82.e1-3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2015.04.176.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Alshammari SA, Alabdulkareem AM, Aloqeely KM, et al.The determinants of the quality of life of gastroesophageal reflux disease patients attending King Saud University Medical City.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9505. doi:10.7759/cureus.9505Johns Hopkins Medicine.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GER & GERD.Newberry C, Lynch K.The role of diet in the development and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease: why we feel the burn.J Thorac Dis.2019;11(Suppl 12):S1594-601. doi:10.21037/jtd.2019.06.42Shibli F, Skeans J, Yamasaki T, Fass R.Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep: An important relationship that is commonly overlooked.J Clin Gastroenterol.2020;54(8):663-674. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001382Pan J, Cen L, Chen W, Yu C, Li Y, Shen Z.Alcohol consumption and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Alcohol.2019;54(1):62-9. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agy063National Health Service.Antacids.Harvard Health Publishing.Proton-pump inhibitors: What you need to know.Sandhu DS, Fass R.Stress and gastroesophageal reflux disease.Proc Shevchenko Sci Soc Med Sci.2018;54(2):10-5.Kohata Y, Fujiwara Y, Watanabe T, et al.Long-term benefits of smoking cessation on gastroesophageal reflux disease and health-related quality of life.PLoS ONE.2016;11(2):e0147860. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147860
Alshammari SA, Alabdulkareem AM, Aloqeely KM, et al.The determinants of the quality of life of gastroesophageal reflux disease patients attending King Saud University Medical City.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9505. doi:10.7759/cureus.9505
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of GER & GERD.
Newberry C, Lynch K.The role of diet in the development and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease: why we feel the burn.J Thorac Dis.2019;11(Suppl 12):S1594-601. doi:10.21037/jtd.2019.06.42
Shibli F, Skeans J, Yamasaki T, Fass R.Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep: An important relationship that is commonly overlooked.J Clin Gastroenterol.2020;54(8):663-674. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001382
Pan J, Cen L, Chen W, Yu C, Li Y, Shen Z.Alcohol consumption and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Alcohol.2019;54(1):62-9. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agy063
National Health Service.Antacids.
Harvard Health Publishing.Proton-pump inhibitors: What you need to know.
Sandhu DS, Fass R.Stress and gastroesophageal reflux disease.Proc Shevchenko Sci Soc Med Sci.2018;54(2):10-5.
Kohata Y, Fujiwara Y, Watanabe T, et al.Long-term benefits of smoking cessation on gastroesophageal reflux disease and health-related quality of life.PLoS ONE.2016;11(2):e0147860. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147860
Ness-Jensen E, Hveem K, El-Seraq H, Lagergren J.Lifestyle intervention in gastroesophageal reflux disease.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;14(2):175-82.e1-3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2015.04.176.
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