Overcoming All Night Heartburn for a Peaceful Night of Sleep

Have you ever suffered from the effects of all night heartburn that just ruined your precious few hours of sleep? Many people have. This usually happens after a bout of overeating - particularly rich and spicy foods downed with alcoholic and/or caffeinated drinks. For some, the effects are felt soon after the binge and the discomfort of heartburn can be quickly and effectively relieved with suitable antacids. These antacids, which can be purchased over the counter, relieve the pain by neutralizing the stomach acids riding the wrong way up the esophagus. For others, their agony is delayed and only surface when they are ready to turn in for the night - the dreaded all night heartburn! Exhausted from the day's activities and that large savory meal, most sufferers wish that the problem would go away by just getting to sleep. This goal cannot be realized since the acid burns the esophagus causing constant pain in the chest area. The good news for these sufferers is that if certain steps are taken, they can get to sleep peacefully after relief is found for the heartburn.

Why Causes All Night Heartburn?

During the day, gravity works in our favor to keep the stomach's acidic contents away from the unprotected walls of the esophagus. In addition, our saliva glands are more active during the day and saliva dribbles down the esophagus. Saliva is a natural neutralizer to the stomach's acid contents and helps alleviate the pain of mild acid refluxes. However, for the sufferer of all night heartburn, the sleeping position only aggravates the problem. In the prone position, gravity is unable to keep the caustic contents of a churning stomach from retracing back into the esophagus. The unprotected esophagus walls are not wetted by saliva since less saliva is created and swallowed at night. The sensitive esophageal walls are traumatized by the stomach acids and the sufferer experiences the effects of an all night heartburn.

What Can We Do To Alleviate All Night Heartburn?

Here are some suggestions to minimize or prevent all night heartburn:

1. Ensure that your last meal is at least two hours before you go to sleep. You are more likely to face the brunt of all night heartburn if you plan to sleep soon after a meal. Appropriate antacids can be taken to relieve the symptoms of heartburn if they show up ahead of the time you plan to retire for the day.

2. Avoid certain foods and beverages.

Avoid certain foods that are more likely to cause all night heartburn during your last meal of the day - dinner or supper. These include the usual suspects - fatty foods, chocolate, alcohol and coffee.

3. Sleep with your head and chest in an elevated position.

In addition to the other steps you've taken to avoid all night heartburn, you can try sleeping so that your torso is in a slightly raised position. This can be done with additional pillows or foam wedges sold for this purpose.

4. Take suitable medication.

You may reduce the potential discomfort by consuming suitable medication like an H2 blocker before going to bed. H2 blockers may offer the sufferer all night relief from heartburn in some cases. If there is onset of symptoms of heartburn, then a combination of an antacid for short-term relief followed by a H2 blocker may provide relief for a few hours and lessen the effects of all night heartburn. Caution: over-dependence on these medications over a long period of time may cause them to be ineffective against all night heartburn. If the symptoms persist, please seek a physician's advice.

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