How to Manage Chronic Heartburn

If you suffer from chronic heartburn, managing it can be difficult but not impossible. Here are some tips to help you manage chronic heartburn:

1. Avoid Trigger Foods: Certain foods can trigger heartburn, such as spicy or acidic foods, fatty or fried foods, and caffeinated beverages. It’s important to identify which foods cause your heartburn and avoid them.

2. Practice Portion Control: Eating large meals can put extra pressure on the stomach, which can lead to increased acid production and heartburn symptoms. Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day may help reduce symptoms of chronic heartburn.

3. Elevate Your Head While Sleeping: Keeping your head elevated while sleeping helps prevent stomach acid from rising up into your esophagus while you sleep, reducing the chances of experiencing nighttime reflux episodes that can lead to chronic heartburn symptoms.

4. Quit Smoking: Smoking cigarettes relaxes the muscles at the bottom of the esophagus, allowing stomach acid to more easily move up into the throat and cause irritation and inflammation in those areas that are sensitive to acid exposure (such as your esophagus). Quitting smoking is an important step in managing chronic heartburn symptoms for many people who suffer from this condition.

5. Consider Medication: If lifestyle changes alone don’t seem to be helping with your chronic heartburn symptoms, talk with your doctor about medications that may help reduce or eliminate them altogether (such as antacids or proton pump inhibitors).

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chronic heartburn, trigger foods, portion control, head elevation, sleeping, smoking, quitting smoking, medications,

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