No one likes getting heartburn, and while their are some occasions where you instantly know what has caused the acid reflux (such as eating something spicy, swallowing wrong, or eating too much too fast), you might also find that your acid reflux is something that doesn’t have a cause.

Thankfully, that’s where this article comes in because we’ve written up some of the most common types of acid reflux, and once you isolate the source you can figure out how to make sure it never plagues you again.

Food Is The Main Cause

Often, you will get the stomach acid flowing back up the esophagus after eating foods that are high in fat or very acidic. These can include foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, onions, chocolate, coffee, cheese, and peppermint. Additionally, foods that are very spicy can also cause acid reflux, as can large meals that you’ve eaten too fast.

Avoiding these foods, as well as eating them much slower than other foods and meals, can help you avoid the process that causes heartburn. Additionally, even if you take your time and eat the correct meals, eating large meals and then laying down or bending over can also be a cause for acid reflux.

This is especially common if you find yourself eating and drinking before bed and then lay down.

Drinks Can Also Cause Acid Reflux… As Can Your Weight

Additionally, drinking foods such as alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, or tea can also cause problems with your acid reflux as well. Drinking them close to bedtime and then laying down, or adding these drinks to a meal filled with spicy foods or foods that are high in acidity and fat can increase the feeling of acid reflux.

Finally, if you are overweight or pregnant and experiencing increased levels of acid reflux, then it could be because of that. Increased weight can put more pressure on your abdomen, and that can lead to more trouble with acid reflux. Focusing on exercising more and losing your baby weight after your child is born should help with reducing the rate of acid reflux as well.

How To Treat Acid Reflux

If you find yourself needing to treat your acid reflux, one of the most important things to do is to work on the meals that you are eating. Meals are going to be the main cause of acid reflux, so taking care to eat less fatty and acidic foods and eating smaller meals can be very helpful.

Additionally, eating at least three to four hours before you decide to go to bed will prevent a whole host of digestive issues. You won’t have an upset stomach, you won’t have to deal with acid reflux, and you won’t need to deal with any lack of sleep caused by eating too much.

Finally, make sure to eat slowly and enjoy your meal. This can help you both enjoy your meal and also not eat too fast, which will cause acid reflux.

Treating Acid Reflux Medically

Of course, a lifestyle change can be a long term investment that will pay off for your health, but it doesn’t help whenever your stomach and throat are burning and you feel terrible in the moment. Thankfully, there are plenty of medications that can treat acid reflux and you can take them over the counter, such as omeprazole 20mg.

Antacids such as Tums, Gas-X, and Alka-Seltzer can help sooth the acidity that causes acid reflux disease. Additionally, you can take other forms of medication that will either coat your stomach to prevent acid reflux from occurring for you in the first place, decrease acid production, or reduce the acid that your stomach makes.

Taking the medication whenever you are dealing with a bout of acid reflux can provide the short term relief that you need, and then you can focus on the lifestyle changes to prevent the acid reflux from coming back.

Acid Reflux Is Normal, Lots Of It Is Not

Acid reflux is normal, because no matter what you do or what you eat, you are probably going to eat something fatty or acidic and suffer some. However, having acid reflux with every single meal or feeling a lot of it on a daily basis is something that you need to deal with with the aid of a doctor.

You might need to change your diet, change your lifestyle, or the increased acid reflux could be a symptom of another health related problem. The sooner you talk to your doctor, the sooner you can shut down your acid reflux and get back to the meals you love.