We have all heard and probably have experienced the negative symptom of poor digestion called heartburn. Heartburn will present itself through searing pain in the area behind your breastbone that can be found in your chest area. This pain will increase right after consuming food, when lying down, or late at night right before bed. Luckily, there are a number of ways to ensure you avoid heartburn to the best of your ability and at the same time support the entirety of your digestive system.
How Heartburn Comes to Occur
Heartburn begins to happen when food and acid get backed up in your esophagus, hindering it from fully being digested and disposed of. Ideally, your esophagus would relax its lower muscles to allow for the food/liquid to travel from your mouth to your stomach, but sometimes the esophagus’ muscles becomes too weak or does not properly relax itself making it so the food gets stuck. This is the process that causes acid reflux, and can be exacerbated by lying down or bending over as it just pushes this food even further up your throat.
What Can Promote the Increase In Heartburn
While heartburn can sometimes happen out of nowhere, there are also some activities we might be participating in that are making it worse. Some people might find they have food intolerances or are sensitive to certain ingredients that their body does not necessarily enjoy. When it comes to heartburn, the most common ingredients people’s bodies tend to disapprove include:
- Citrusy products
- Spicy foods
- Foods with a high fat content
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Onions
As you can see many of the foods we have listed are quite common in everyday meals, meaning that we should take note of the meals we are eating and the ways in which it is impacting our overall state. Other complications that can increase your risk of developing heartburn include being pregnant and being overweight.
Lifestyle Choices That Can Trigger Your Heartburn
Stress
When one becomes stressed, it becomes difficult to take a step back and truly evaluate the situation for what it is. Instead, one might find that they tend to let the feelings of stress marinate and allow them to take over everyday interactions. Aside from the fact that this stress can lead to a decrease in the quality of your overall life, it can also impact your digestive system. This is due to the connection between your brain and your digestive process.
When one of these processes loses its strength, it negatively impacts the other process. Stress can slow down your digestive process, and can even contribute to a loss of appetite which could be due to your body storing the food you are consuming in your stomach for much longer due to its response to stress. When your body starts to store these foods, it can become harder to try and put more into it, which leads to heartburn. The heartburn is then amplified due to the fact that stress can cause your body to have a more sensitive reaction to pain. For more information on how to combat stress, click here.
Wearing Tight Clothing
What we wear on a day-to-day basis can be overlooked as inconsequential when it comes to your digestive health, but in reality it can actually cause many adverse effects depending on the clothes. Clothing that is too tight on one’s skin can cause the gastrointestinal part of your digestion to become aggravated.
One of the main ways it can do this is through pushing up foods/drinks that you consume right back up towards your esophagus causing acid reflux and heartburn. This is why it is essential that people be wary of the clothes they are deciding to wear, and to make sure there is a semblance of comfort that can promote proper digestion. Wearing comfortable clothing is a pre-meal practice that your body and stomach will thank you for!
Ways to Diminish and Conquer Heartburn
There are some practices including taking bloating supplements that can be helpful in conquering and preventing heartburn from occurring. The following are some supplements that have been found to be potentially helpful in combating heartburn:
- Melatonin: Melatonin which is naturally produced by the gastro-intestinal tract, can be taken as a supplement to get that extra bit of support. Extra melatonin in the gastro-intestinal tract can help to promote the release of gastrin which helps to stimulate the muscles that are essential in allowing the food to be processed completely by the esophagus. Melatonin has also been known to promote quality sleep, and can help those whose heartburn tends to become more intense while lying in bed.
- Peppermint Oil and Ginger Root : These two supplements to stop bloating can relieve multiple adverse effects of poor digestion including not only heartburn but headaches and nausea as well! These both are anti-inflammatory which can help relieve the irritation brought on by heartburn. Luckily for you, we have curated our very own vitamin that helps with bloating called Sexy & Slim, which includes both peppermint root powder and ginger root powder as its ingredients. Taking this supplement at night can help you with relieving irritation, inflammation, detox your body, and replenish you with antioxidants. Start your digestive journey today and shop your very own right here!
- Vitamin B: While it is important to stay on track by taking all your vitamins and ensuring they are in the meals you consume, it definitely will not hurt to take vitamin supplements to ensure you are hitting all of your bases. Vitamin B has been especially known to help alleviate issues in the esophagus that might be contributing to acid reflux and heartburn. Salmon, oysters, and eggs are two great ways to naturally consume vitamin B through the foods you eat!
Heartburn does not have to be something you live with. In fact, these are just some of multiple ways you can work to combat your heartburn and support your overall digestive process.