Smart lifestyle changes to help you treat heartburn

From a tiny twinge to a blowtorch-like sensation behind the breastbone, heartburn in all its intensities affects millions of Canadians every day. Nearly complete relief is possible with a combination of lifestyle changes and the right medications.

Doctors have found that lifestyle changes alone can reduce or eliminate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms in about half of those who live with them. So once you get the pain and burning under control, set your sights on changing the habits that may have caused the problem in the first place. Some things you can do include:

• Quit smoking. There are so many reasons to stop for good — and getting relief from heartburn is yet another. Smoking dries up your saliva, a natural lubricant that your body uses to wash down gastric juices. The nicotine in cigarettes also relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), making it even easier for acid to backflow.
• Shed extra weight. Studies have shown time and again that GERD accompanies girth. A pot belly often pushes upward against the stomach and forces acid through a weakened LES.
• Take a walk after meals. A leisurely stroll after dinner can encourage intestinal movement and reduce heartburn. The worst thing you can to do is lie down for a quick nap right after eating. All that food gets jammed up against the LES, making heartburn almost a certainty.
• Loosen things up. Tight underwear, pants, girdles, belts and any other too-snug apparel increase abdominal pressure. Choose loose-fitting clothes and you'll feel more comfortable.
• Stay regular. When you're constipated, straining to have a bowel movement increases the pressure in your abdomen. More pressure equals more stomach acid going up where it doesn't belong. To prevent constipation, be sure to exercise often, drink lots of water throughout the day and eat plenty of dietary fibre. The simplest way to do that is to add ample fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet.
• Sleep with your head up. If heartburn keeps you awake at night, try raising the head of your bed with 15- to 20-centimetre (six- to eight-inch) blocks. This keeps your stomach contents from pushing upward. There are foam wedges you can sleep on that do the same thing — look for them in drugstores or in medical supply stores. Regardless of whether you use a wedge, try to stay on your left side as you slumber. Your stomach extends into the left side of your abdomen, so sleeping on this side keeps anything in your stomach down low and away from your LES.

If you never ate, you'd never have heartburn. That’s not possible, so it’s worth the effort to know how foods affect you: one study found that an altered diet led to improvement in almost half of people with GERD. If you couple that with the other lifestyle changes mentioned below, your chances of beating GERD are excellent. Try the following:

• Give up large meals. When you overeat, the extra food pushes back up into your esophagus. So instead of three large daily meals, switch to four to six smaller ones, but be sure to eat the last meal two to three hours before bedtime.
• Chew slowly and thoroughly. Doing so makes it easier for your body to speed the food through your digestive system, giving it less time in your stomach.
• Avoid fatty, high-calorie foods. Research shows high levels of dietary fat increase a sensitivity to heartburn.
• Steer clear of common triggers. These include coffee, alcohol, peppermint, spearmint, onions, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, spicy foods, chocolate and carbonated drinks.

Heartburn is manageable. Keep this guide in mind and reduce your heartburn with simple lifestyle changes.