Heartburn is something many of us are familiar with. It’s a sharp, painful sensation that rises from your abdomen to your chest. While it’s normal to have it once or twice, experiencing it often can be a sign of an underlying problem that needs to be treated by a doctor. However, just because it happened once also doesn’t mean that you can keep doing your normal routine all the time and expect positive results. In fact, here’s how you’re making it worse:

You love late-night snacks – a little too much

Eating is enjoyable, but eating before bed kick-starts digestion, and this can leave you with more acid in your stomach that can easily travel up your esophagus when lying down. More importantly, you should pay attention to what you’re eating or craving during the late hours. If it’s high-sugar or high-carb foods, it means that you don’t have enough energy. This could mean that you’re…

Not getting enough sleep

Many of us struggle to get enough sleep because of different reasons, but a hectic schedule and working the late hours is certainly among the most common. When you’re not getting enough sleep, your body is placed under stress, but while your stomach’s gastric acid doesn’t necessarily increase during this time, it does worsen the symptoms of an acid reflux. And because you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re also…

You drink too much coffee

Even if you do get enough sleep, caffeine is a diuretic and a naturally acidic substance that will give you energy and boost your mood at a cost: it can worsen the acid reflux you already have, or it makes you more likely to develop acid reflux. But how much is too much? The recommended amount of coffee adults can safely consume in a day is three cups, so if you find yourself drinking more than that, you might make your symptoms worse. And speaking of drinking…

You drink too much

There’s nothing wrong with taking a glass of your favorite cocktail or a beer for a nightcap, but if you have heartburn, then you should start thinking twice about your plans of going out with friends. And like coffee, alcohol is also dehydrating, which affects you negatively in two ways: it makes your mouth produce less saliva, and it makes you less able to clear that acid in your stomach. In fact, that acid can even make its way up your throat, which adds to that burning sensation.

While these things do make your bouts of heartburn worse for your digestive track, the good news is there are ways to minimize the effects of heartburn and acid reflux on your body. For instance, aside from staying hydrated as much as possible, it also helps to keep stress under control and to stick to light meals eaten more slowly, as well as eating more foods that contain natural pre- and probiotics.