Updated April 27, 2015.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
Question: Can changes in diet prevent nighttime heartburn?
Answer:
Nighttime heartburn, whether it's just occasionally or several times a week, is a problem for nearly 80 percent of heartburn sufferers. Staying up all night, suffering from a bout of heartburn, isn't practical. For many individuals, the cause of their nighttime heartburn can be traced back to what they ate, and how they ate, during the day.
For them, a change in diet, or changing when they eat, has gone a long way in reducing or preventing episodes of nighttime heartburn.
The following tips can help you control your nighttime heartburn and get a good night's rest:
Watch what you eat. You should avoid the foods you know are your heartburn triggers. If you aren't sure what those foods are, you can keep a heartburn diary for a week or two to chart what foods give you heartburn, and which foods are safe. The most common foods to cause heartburn are:
You can also read why some foods cause heartburn.
Know the best time to eat. If one of your meals during the day tends to be a larger meal, try planning that meal for lunch instead of supper. This can help prevent your stomach from being too full when you go to bed. Also, any meal you have in the evening should be at least two to three hours before you plan on going to bed. Again, you want to avoid having a full stomach when you lay down, because this can cause the stomach contents to press harder against the lower esophageal sphincter, which increases your chances of having heartburn.
Watch those snacks. You should avoid late-night snacking. Snacks are good, but best when eaten earlier in the day. Eating too close to bedtime can increase your chances of experiencing heartburn because of increased stomach acid levels produced to digest the snack.
Drink water. Drinking a glass of lukewarm water can dilute and flush out stomach acid.
Sources:
American Journal of Gastroenterology, "Updated Guidelines for the diagnosis and Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease." The American College of Gastroenterology. Oct 7 2010
Carol Ann Rinzler, Ken DeVault, MD. Heartburn & Reflux for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2004
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
Question: Can changes in diet prevent nighttime heartburn?
Answer:
Nighttime heartburn, whether it's just occasionally or several times a week, is a problem for nearly 80 percent of heartburn sufferers. Staying up all night, suffering from a bout of heartburn, isn't practical. For many individuals, the cause of their nighttime heartburn can be traced back to what they ate, and how they ate, during the day.
For them, a change in diet, or changing when they eat, has gone a long way in reducing or preventing episodes of nighttime heartburn.
The following tips can help you control your nighttime heartburn and get a good night's rest:
Watch what you eat. You should avoid the foods you know are your heartburn triggers. If you aren't sure what those foods are, you can keep a heartburn diary for a week or two to chart what foods give you heartburn, and which foods are safe. The most common foods to cause heartburn are:
- Citrus fruits and juices (such as orange, grapefruit)
- Tomato-based products (such as tomato sauce, spaghettic, ketchup)
- Caffeinated beverages (such as colas, coffee)
- Carbonated beverages
- Spicy foods
- Foods with high fat content
- Chocolate (Yeah, it tastes good, but it can cause heartburn for many GERD patients)
- Alcohol
You can also read why some foods cause heartburn.
Know the best time to eat. If one of your meals during the day tends to be a larger meal, try planning that meal for lunch instead of supper. This can help prevent your stomach from being too full when you go to bed. Also, any meal you have in the evening should be at least two to three hours before you plan on going to bed. Again, you want to avoid having a full stomach when you lay down, because this can cause the stomach contents to press harder against the lower esophageal sphincter, which increases your chances of having heartburn.
Watch those snacks. You should avoid late-night snacking. Snacks are good, but best when eaten earlier in the day. Eating too close to bedtime can increase your chances of experiencing heartburn because of increased stomach acid levels produced to digest the snack.
Drink water. Drinking a glass of lukewarm water can dilute and flush out stomach acid.
Sources:
American Journal of Gastroenterology, "Updated Guidelines for the diagnosis and Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease." The American College of Gastroenterology. Oct 7 2010
Carol Ann Rinzler, Ken DeVault, MD. Heartburn & Reflux for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2004
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