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Avoiding Nighttime Heartburn Before Bedtime

Although heartburn can attack at any time of the day, when it’s nighttime heartburn, it’s particularly painful and bothersome. Most people who are diagnosed with heartburn or with acid reflux disease have nighttime heartburn. This only makes sense as lying down can encourage your food to come back up. For some, the loss of sleep is more dangerous to health and sanity in the long run than the actual heartburn.

When To Go To Bed

Part of avoiding nighttime heartburn is knowing when it’s safest to lay down. The last time you should eat is two or three hours before going to bed. Your want your stomach (and the digestive acid inside of it) to be as empty as possible before going to bed. You also really need to avoid alcoholic beverages in this time, too, if not give it up altogether. Some people like to have a “nightcap” to make them drowsy, but you won’t be doing much sleep when nighttime heartburn hits.

Pillows

Many people get some relief from nighttime heartburn by making sure their pillows are stacked up and that their head, neck and shoulders are on an incline. If you move around a lot in your sleep, then you’ll slip off of this incline. There are special acid reflux pillows and wedge-shaped foam to help you stay in place.

Antacids And Medications

There are many antacids to choose from to take when nighttime heartburn wakes you up. As well as over the counter medications in tablets, liquids and pills, there are also prescription medications. With heartburn and pregnancy, you do not just want to pop pills. Many drugs – even over the counter drugs – can harm your baby. You need to talk to your doctor about safely dealing with nighttime heartburn.

If pregnancy isn’t an issue with you, then it’s usually safe to try an over the counter antacid for a week. If you’re still getting nighttime heartburn at least twice a week, you really should see your doctor. Heartburn and acid reflux isn’t something that goes away by itself.

Wear Loose Clothing

Tight clothing – even that really expensive frilly lingerie – can press on your body and aggravate your nighttime heartburn. You might also want to not tuck in your blankets, if they press in on you. And try never to sleep on your stomach. If you roll over in your sleep, you may have to stick a pebble on the front of your pajamas to wake you up and get you back into a proper position.