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It is surprising how much influence your lifestyle choices can have on your health overall. If you've been told you have acid reflux, you will obviously want to figure out how to control the symptoms, and live a more comfortable life. Of course, acid reflux disease doesn't simply go away, but its effects can be reduced, and many symptoms prevented by making a few easy lifestyle changes. Here are seven tips that you can try before you attempt more drastic steps: 1. Control Meal Size If you typically eat three big meals a day, try adjusting your schedule to taking six small daily meals instead. This can help to prevent you from overeating. When your stomach gets too full, there is an increased amount of gastric pressure. Overeating is a major cause of acid reflux flare-ups, so stick to smaller meals and give your stomach a break. Eating more slowly can also help to reduce your discomfort. 2. No Bedtime Snacks For at least two hours before retiring to bed, do not eat or drink. If you are one of the lucky ones who enjoy an afternoon nap, you can try doing so in a chair. Lying down with a full stomach can cause the contents of your stomach to be pressed against your lower esophagus, which increases the chances of acid reflux. 3. Watch What You Eat Acid reflux can be triggered by a host of common foods and beverages. They either increase acid production, and thus gastric pressure, or relax the lower esophagus muscle, leading to the reflux. Foods that trigger your own heartburn should certainly be avoided. Write down a list of what you know cause this in you, perhaps spicy foods, juice or citrus foods, coffee, and so on. These irritate the esophagus lining in many people. Especially at dinner, avoid these foods and you can avoid nighttime heartburn. If you don't have a list of heartburn suspects, keep a record for a couple of weeks to keep track of foods to avoid. 4. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking Alcohol consumption should also be avoided in your efforts to reduce acid reflux. Alcohol not only creates excess stomach acid, it also relaxes the lower esophagus muscle. When this muscle is relaxed, the contents of your stomach tend to reflux back up into the esophagus. If you do plan on consuming alcoholic beverages, do so in very small quantities. If complications arise, stop drinking alcohol altogether. Smoking is another poor choice for those with digestive problems. In addition to the seemingly endless list of health concerns caused by smoking, it also stimulates the production of stomach acid, leading to an increase of acid reflux symptoms. 5. Smarter Sleeping Gravity is the main force at work here. If you keep your head higher than your waist, the contents of your stomach will more likely stay put. Consider buying a large, wedge-shaped pillow, to elevate your head and shoulders. You can also purchase an adjustable bed, to create an incline, or prop the legs of your current bed to accomplish the same thing (though less safely.) 6. Stay Comfortable Remember that tight clothing constricts your stomach, pushing food against the lower esophagus. This can lead to acid reflux symptoms as well. Therefore, try loosening your belt, or wear clothes that are less constricting and have either elastic waist support, or hang loosely. 7. Avoid Stress Stress may not have a close relationship with heartburn, at least researchers have not found one yet, but it still may be implicated in acid reflux. Stress may be more of a precursor to the problem. In any case, it is a good idea to use relaxation techniques to help reduce stress, and help you avoid heartburn inducing behavior. These seven tips can help relieve your acid reflux symptoms. As you know, no single factor can be blamed for this health condition, but a lot of little factors acting together can lead to your problems. So tackle the little things one at a time, and you can find the relief you seek.
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About the Article Author
Fallon Cullerne is an author for several online magazines, on health plan and senior health topics. You can get a unique content version of this article.
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