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Curing All Night Heartburn and Enjoying a
Full Night of Sleep
For many people, heartburn is an occasional condition that
occurs after eating a heavy meal or drinking too much coffee or
alcohol. It will rear its ugly head in the hours immediately
following the meal, and can often be treated quickly and
effectively with over the counter antacids that will neutralize
the stomach acid and relieve the pain. For some heartburn
sufferers however, the painful symptoms do not begin until it
is bedtime, and this can be a difficult time to treat
heartburn. Your primary goal at this point in the day is to get
much needed rest, and that can be a challenge if you have a
persistent pain and burning in your chest. The good news is
that there are a number of steps that you can take to relieve
heartburn that goes on all night, so that you can get the sleep
that your body needs.
Why Does All Night Heartburn Occur?
When you lie down to go to sleep at night, gravity is no longer
working to keep those stomach acids down where they belong. It
is much easier in this position for those harmful acids to
creep back up into the esophagus, causing the painful burning
sensation when the acids reach the unprotected wall of the
esophageal area. While you are sleeping, you also tend to
swallow less, which keeps your saliva away from those acids as
well. Our saliva is a natural neutralizer for these stomach
acids during the day when you are swallowing more frequently.
These two factors can add up to painful heartburn that can last
all night if it is not properly prevented and
treated.
How Can You Treat All Night Heartburn?
There are a number of habits that you can adopt to prevent all
night heartburn symptoms. First, make sure that you have at
least two hours between when you eat your last meal of the day
and when you go to bed. The sooner that you lie down after
eating, the more likely it is that your symptoms will start up.
You can also avoid certain foods and beverages in the evening
that you know will cause your all night heartburn symptoms to
flare up. Some of the common culprits of all night heartburn
are alcohol, coffee, chocolate and fatty foods. If you still
find yourself suffering from symptoms after going to bed, you
can also try raising the head of your bed to elevate your head
and chest area. If this is not convenient for you or your
partner, there are also foam wedges that you can buy that will
serve the same purpose.
Taking a medication like an H2 blocker before bed can bring you
relief that will last through the night in some cases. If you
are having trouble falling asleep because your all night
heartburn symptoms have already begun, you can try an antacid
for quick relief, and the H2 blocker to make that relief last
for a number of hours. Do not take these medications every
night as a preventative measure however, since taking them too
frequently will make your body immune to the effects of the
medicine.
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