Heartburn is a condition in which stomach acid gets up into your esophagus and causes a painful burning sensation in your chest. Let’s take a look at seven powerful home remedies that you can use to prevent heartburn, and kill it fast when it strikes:
1. Chewing gum
One of the most overlooked remedies for heartburn is chewing gum. This is because the gum will create an increased production of saliva which will help to clear the esophagus of acid. There are actually other remedies that work better, but if you have heartburn and need quick relief, chewing gum may just be the most accessible remedy.
2. Elevate your head
If you’re suffering from acid reflux while you sleep, one of the best things you can do to get relief is to raise the head of your bed. The most common way to do this is to just stack pillows so that your head is elevated. If you have one of those fancy adjustable beds, like the ones they use in hospitals, just tilt the head portion up. As you can probably guess, this is effective because it helps to keep the acid from coming up into your esophagus while you sleep.
3. Apple cider vinegar
The best way to neutralize an acid with a base – that’s just basic chemistry. So if you suffer from GERD, or just random bouts of heartburn, one of the best ways to get rid of it quick is to use apple cider vinegar. Don’t go drinking it from the bottle though, instead, mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a glass of water. This will help to balance your internal PH, and get rid of you heartburn quickly and effectively.
4. Mint
Another great remedy that can help get rid of heartburn is mint. Just crush up a few mint leaves add a tablespoon of them to a cup of water, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Be sure to keep some of this mixture on hand so that you have it ready when heartburn strikes, having to wait 30 minutes with heartburn while the mint soaks isn’t fun.
5. Avoid overeating
The more you eat, the more acid your stomach produces to help digest the food. This being the case we can logically say that the less you eat, the less acid it will produce, and the less likely you will be to suffer a sudden bout of heartburn. Simple.
6. Limit alcohol
While alcohol by itself isn’t a huge contributor to heartburn, it can make it much worse. This is especially true when alcohol is consumed with meals as it will increase the amount of acid produced, and slow down digestion, causing the acid to stick around longer.
7. Carbonated beverages
Carbonated beverages are acidic by nature, but more importantly, they weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing acid to come up into the esophagus and give you heartburn. If that wasn’t enough, soda also makes you belch more, further opening the esophagus, and allowing acid to get into your esophagus and cause heartburn.
