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- Easy Ways to Prevent Heartburn
- By:Corwin Brown
Your risk of developing exercise induced heartburn increases if you exercise too soon after a meal, particularly a large meal. If possible, wait several hours after a meal before heading to the gym to give your food a chance to move out of the stomach into the small intestines. Try to avoid overindulging at mealtime if you know you'll be exercising later that day.
Try it yourself; have someone sit on your stomach after a meal and watch the acid rise back up the digestive tract. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. Imagine how uncomfortable it will be for a pregnant woman.
There may be ways to stop heartburn naturally, depending on how severe your case becomes. For example, eating smaller meals more frequently instead of a few large meals throughout the day may prevent heartburn from occurring. Similarly, if you're significantly overweight you have a higher chance of recurring heartburn; eat sensibly and exercise, and you may be able to prevent heartburn altogether. Subsequently, you probably want to avoid spicy and fried foods because these are common triggers of most cases of heartburn.
Avoid foods that are fatty, spicy or greasy. If you have to eat them, eat in moderation. Citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, chocolate and onions are foods that may trigger heartburn as well.
Alcohol relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. It also increases the production of stomach acid. If you want to consume alcohol, follow these tips: Dilute alcoholic beverages with water or club soda, drink moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages -- the suggested amounts are 1-2 mixed drinks, 12-16 ounces of wine, or 2-3 beers, drink white wine instead of red, choose non-alcoholic beer or wine whenever you can.
Change your sleep position. Raising your head or shoulders slightly (about four to six inches) can keep stomach acid where it belongs. Try putting blocks under the legs at the head of your bed or adding a small pillow. Some studies also have suggested that sleeping on your left side can speed up digestion.
Gain the proper amount of weight as discussed by your doctor. Heartburn is more prevalent in obese people. While most pregnant women can healthily gain about 30 pounds during pregnancy, this weight should be added gradually, over the course of several months.
When you have had a meal, resist the temptation to either lay down or sit back with your feet in a raised position. This is a common catalyst for pregnancy heartburn. When you lay back you're inviting food to travel back up your digestive tract.
Gallstones are solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder or nearby bile ducts. They often cause no symptoms and require no treatment. Sometimes, however, gallstones cause chronic indigestion, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
Raise the head of your bed so that your head and chest are higher than your feet. You can do this by placing 6-inch blocks under the bedposts at the head of the bed. Don't use piles of pillows to achieve the same goal. You will only put your head at an angle that can increase pressure on your stomach and make your heartburn worse.
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