The Best Home Remedies For Acid Reflux: What Really Works?

From waking up in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in your chest, to having a perpetually sore throat.

You can rest assured that living with acid reflux is a nightmare.

It impacts the quality of your life in so many different ways, that sometimes you are at your wit’s end about what to do about it.

However, even if you are diagnosed with GERD or acid reflux disease, it does not mean that shouldn’t enjoy your life as much as possible!

These pointers and acid reflux home remedies will not magically relieve you of your heartburn issues overnight.

However, they will help to alleviate these symptoms to such an extent that you may even forget that it is still there – and that is the main goal here.

If you wish for long term results than a simple tip or two will not be able to help you as much as you want and deserve.

It has to be a ‘one-two’ combination of multiple tips as well as lifestyle changes.

Let’s get started with the best home remedies for acid reflux and heartburn.

Eat Half A Dozen Small Meals Instead Of Three Big Ones

The main aim here is to keep your tummy from becoming too full.

This will help to reduce pressure on your gastric system.

But at the same time, you won’t have to compromise on your daily caloric and nutritional intake.

Since your stomach will have will less food to contend with it won’t release too much acid.

Eat As Slowly As You Can

Always remember, the slower you eat, the less food in your stomach and therefore the less the acid required to digest your meal.

In fact, if you stop gobbling your food, you can easily kill two birds with only one stone.

You will not only deal with acid reflux issues but also get rid of a few extra pounds as well.

This is because it takes time for the little chemical and cellular messengers in your stomach to inform the brain that your tummy is full.

You have to give these messengers some time to work.

And if you eat at a slow and steady pace, they will be able to tell you that you have had enough to eat.

The much-acclaimed Mediterranean diet that leads to a long and healthy life is not so much about ‘what’ you consume but ‘how much’ you consume.

In the Mediterranean region, they enjoy their meals by savoring them and eating them slowly.

Don’t eat while watching TV. You should think about the meal you are eating and give it your full attention.

Try not to eat alone so that you will be able to converse with someone during the meal.

If none of this works and you are still eating faster than you should, then you might consider eating with your non-dominant hand.

That is if you are righty switch to your left hand and vice versa. This is an easy way to slow down a meal.

You Can Try Chewing Gum

There was a study in which it was discovered that patients found some relief from heartburn through the prolonged use of chewing gum.

The theory is that chewing gum will make you swallow a whole lot more often.

This will help to reduce acid reflux incidents. You can try chewing a wad of sugar-free gun for half an hour after every meal and check and see if it works for you.

Try And Lose Any Excess Weight

It is a known fact that excess weight is a causative factor for heartburn.

If you lose around 10 to 15 pounds, you may be able to decrease the frequency of your acid reflux by as much as 40 percent.

Healthy weight loss can also lead to many other desired health improvements as well. So it might be a good idea to find a jogging partner or even sign up for a gym class.

You can consider switching to a low-carb and high fiber diet for this purpose.

Not only will you be able to get rid of your heartburn related problems, but you will look and feel great as well.

Refrain From Eating Anything Before Bedtime

Give your tummy a rest for at least two hours before you go to bed. Gravity is the key here.

If you are in a horizontal position your gastric juices will inevitably travel where they are not supposed to go.

Many people who suffer from heartburn have reported that their symptoms drastically improved when they ate their meals early.

Similarly, if you want to take a post heavy lunch siesta, do it in a chair instead of on the bed.

This way, the acids in your stomach will not travel to your throat and give you a sore throat. – if you wake up with a bad throat every morning.

Well, now you know what’s causing it!

Avoid Alcoholic Beverages

Alcohol increases stomach acid production. Moreover, such drinks also relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).

If this ‘valve’ opens too many times it will allow your stomach contents to back up into your esophagus.

However, if you simply must have a drink or two, then try to drink moderately and a few hours before you go to sleep.

Don’t Eat Stuff That Is Known To Give You Heartburn

Many food groups cause heartburn because they increase the production of acid in your stomach.

Other foods can loosen the lower sphincter muscle and allow acid to seep through.

Tomato and tomato-based sauces, citrus fruits, spicy foods, coffee, and juices are all known culprits.

As delicious as the foods can be, it’s important to ignore them as much as possible!

Use Apple Cider Vinegar

Many people have reported a decrease in heartburn after they took a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with a glass of water.

That does not mean that it will affect everyone the same way, but there is no harm in trying it out.

Apple cider vinegar is truly an incredible substance and can help with a variety of other health issues.

Conclusion

Apart from the above, you can try sleeping with an inclined ‘wedge pillow’ to make sure that your digestive juices don’t wander around in your body but stay where they belong.

All of these tips and acid reflux home remedies can only work if you use them together so that you can get back to enjoying your life, without the pain of heartburn.

We wish you the best of luck, and we hope you have enjoyed reading this article on the best home remedies for acid reflux!