GERD is an uncomfortable digestive disease that affects roughly 20% of the population in the United States today. It can wake you up a few hours after eating with an acidic pain in your chest and a burning feeling in your throat. No one likes the feeling of GERD, but when you don’t know much about the disease, you might struggle to find a way to avoid it. That’s where we can help. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss just what causes GERD and what you can do about it.
Causes of GERD
You’ve probably felt GERD before if you ate something rather heavy and acidic — like pasta — within an hour or two of going to bed. Eating a large meal shortly before lying down is one of the most common causes of GERD, though it might not be the only factor. Some other causes include:
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Highly acidic foods like oranges, tomatoes, garlic, or chocolate
- Pain relief, muscle relaxers, or blood pressure medication
- Drinks like alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, or tea
Another potential cause of GERD is a hiatal hernia. This can happen when your stomach pushes into the chest cavity through your diaphragm. This hernia can contribute to GERD and even a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
How Do You Know If You Have GERD?
The main things that you’ll notice when you have GERD is that feeling of acid or bile rising up in your chest and a burning sensation in your throat. This will be exacerbated by lying down but might happen even if you’re not lying down. There are other symptoms of GERD, which include:
- Heartburn
- Regurgitation or wet burps
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
These symptoms are typically mild, but can last for hours and may repeat over time if you don’t take steps to treat your GERD.
How To Treat GERD
You can help to lessen GERD by changing your eating habits. This may mean that you stop eating a couple hours before you lay down for the night, or switch to only light snacks. Knowing this, you might be tempted to burn off what you eat with exercise before you settle down, but exercising just after a heavy meal can be just as problematic as lying down. You may be eating too much acidic food in your diet, and it could be time to cut down on that. Eating more slowly will also help with digestion and thus lessen the risk of GERD.
You may also be able to enjoy your favorite foods while taking a supplement like The Heartburn Relief Kit from Terra Health, which helps to regulate your stomach acidity and reduce symptoms of GERD.
GERD can be a pesky disease that can ruin your enjoyment of your favorite foods. With the right education and changes to the way you approach your food, however, you don’t have to let it run your life.
