Put An End To Your Chronic Acid Reflux Misery With These Simple Tips

Waking up in the middle of the night with your chest on fire is like waking up to a living nightmare. Unfortunately, more of us our living this nightmare and it is seriously affecting not only our sleep, but the quality of our lives. Why Acid Reflux Happens Chronic acid reflux can be a depilating condition causing many of us misery and the number of sufferers is rising. Most of us will experience a bout of acid reflux once and a while. It can be that uncomfortable burning sensation or pressure building up in your chest or a sour acid taste in the mouth. This happens when the contents of your stomach, which includes acid, enters your esophagus and irritates its sensitive lining. Acid reflux can affect most of us occasionally however, when it happens continuously, it becomes a chronic condition. Acid reflux is a complicated condition because there are number reasons why it can occur. A common reason is related to the function of the lower oesophageal sphincter. This is a muscle at the lower end of your esophagus that acts like a one way valve. It is supposed to open up when you swallow to allow food and drink to enter your stomach. However, sometimes this does not work properly. The sphincter can become over relaxed and fail to close, allowing the stomach acid to escape into your esophagus and causing heartburn. The sphincter can malfunction due to old age and this corresponds with the higher rates of chronic acid reflux in people over the ages of 60. Women can also suffer from chronic acid reflux when pregnant. Although not conclusive, it is believed the lower oesophageal sphincter becomes too relaxed due to hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy. What And How You Eat Has A Direct Affect A primary reason is our eating habits. Many of us are eating the wrong foods and eating too much food in general. Bouts of acid reflux often follow after eating a heavy meal. This makes sense, because when we eat larger quantities of food, we displace more of the acid in our stomach, which raises the level. Now, the entrance of your esophagus is on the upper right hand side of the stomach, not directly on top. As the pressure builds up, the acid level passes the entrance of the esophagus and pushes against the lower oesophageal sphincter. This pressure can push open the sphincter allowing the acid to escape. The type of food you eat has also a direct affect. Certain foods will trigger acid reflux and the major suspects are foods that are high in fat or fried in fat. Fat is notoriously hard for our digestion to break down and digest. Our stomachs have to produce more acid in order to absorb the fat properly. More acid means a higher risk of acid reflux. Simple Tips To Relieve Chronic Acid Reflux To help relieve your symptoms avoid eating large meals, especially in the evening as acid reflux happens more frequently at night. It is also a good idea to elevate your sleeping position as this can help stop the reflux from happening. You can do this by simply placing extra pillows behind your back. Try and avoid fried food and chocolate as these are acid producing and irritate the lining of your stomach. Eat foods that are more natural and nutritious. For example, plant based foods, raw fruit and vegetables contain digestive enzymes. These enzymes break down foods making it easier for our digestion to absorb essential nutrients and vitamins. People with a chronic acid reflux have lower levels of digestive enzymes than people with a balanced digestion. And the last tip to help your chronic acid reflux is to chew your food slowly and thoroughly before you swallow.