It is good to ask your doctor about common triggers for acid reflux to avoid them in the future. Certain foods increase your chances of getting acid reflux than others. You might want to eliminate all the blandest foods from your diet. Additionally, foods like spicy foods, fatty foods, mint, garlic, onion, alcohol, tea, and coffee are more likely to cause acid reflux than others. Therefore, you can avoid such foods if you have had acid reflux before to avoid recurrence. Additionally, avoid carbonated beverages as they make you burp, which could send acid to your esophagus.
Stay Up a While After Eating
Sleeping immediately after eating increases your chances of getting acid reflux. Therefore, take some time before you sleep to avoid the condition from happening. Gravity from standing or sitting keeps the acid in the stomach where it belongs. Therefore, wait for about three hours after eating before going to bed and avoid midnight snacks. This also means you avoid lunchtime naps and late-night suppers.
Avoid Vigorous Activities after Eating
Move slowly after eating to avoid acid reflux. Also, do not engage in vigorous or strenuous activities for a couple of hours after you eat. Avoid anything that involves bending as it could send acid to your esophagus, causing reflux. Although an after-dinner stroll is fine, be careful to take things slowly.
Sleep Inclined
Your sleeping posture might increase your chances of getting acid reflux. Generally, you are to sleep with your head about 6-8 inches elevated over your feet. You can raise your bed using extra tall bed raisers or a foam wedge. But do not pile up pillows as that would provide ununiform support and could lead to other complications.
Evaluate Your Medications
You might be experiencing acid reflux as a side effect of some medications. Discuss your current treatment and medical history with your provider to understand if you need any adjustments to avoid the recurrence of your condition. Remember that some medications like Actonel, Boniva, and Fosamax could irritate your esophagus. Additionally, your provider might recommend other medications to relieve your acid reflux.
Repeated episodes of acid reflux mainly occur due to your lifestyle, and improving it can help you avoid the condition. Reach out to Michael Sutker, MD, today to get effective treatments for your condition and learn how to bypass a recurrence in the future.