Simple ways to get rid of Acid Reflux during Festive Season

Festive season comes with lots of good food and good vibes. This is so common that we tend to gain weight during the festive season whether it is Holi, Diwali, Eid, Dussehra, Christmas, or new year. Festivals come as a way of an excuse for eating whatever we want, but during this time, we avoid our health to a massive extent which causes much trouble after the festive season passes.

Some people face weight gain issues or some people face gastric issues during festivals. Acid reflux takes place in our body when we eat too much hot, spicy, or oily food, which causes indigestion and slow metabolism leading to acid reflux or acidity, or heartburn. The most common treatment for acid reflux is taking medications but lifestyle changes are way more effective than taking medication. After all, medicines have their own side-effects after a period of time.

Symptoms of Acid Reflux:

Acid reflux is the situation of our body when acid levels in our stomach go up into the esophagus which is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Generally, acid reflux is totally normal but when it starts taking place too often, it starts to burn up inside the esophagus. There are some main symptoms which easily shows that you are suffering from acid reflux.

• You will face difficulty at the time of food swallowing.
• Suddenly your chest starts paining and sometimes this pain hurts you too much and it is too difficult to bear.
• Most of the time after dinner you feel a burning sensation in your chest which will get worse in the night. This situation occurs mostly to those who will take dinner late and after consumption, they will go for sleep without break or without giving time to food to digest properly.

RISK FACTORS of Acid Reflux:

1. If you are not consuming food on time and keep your stomach empty for a longer period than you will face this problem very easily and repeatedly.
2. If your weight is more than the requirement and you are suffering from obesity then it s the major risk factor for acid reflux.
3. Studies show that pregnant women face this problem very frequently.
4. If you are taking oily and fried food on a daily basis then you’re giving an invitation to the acid reflux problem.
5. As we all know smoking is a major part of many health problems and acid reflux is one of them.

Simple Ways To Prevent It:

Here is a list of some simple ways to prevent acid reflux in the stomach:

• Don’t Overeat: Acid reflux takes place after having a heavy meal or regularly having a heavy meal. It can also happen if you are not moving enough. All this leads to slow metabolism and indigestion. One way to prevent acid reflux is to avoid having large meals at night.
• Losing Weight: The diaphragm prevents an excessive amount of stomach acid to leak into the esophagus but if you have too much belly fat, then the pressure in the abdomen may go so high that the lower esophageal sphincter gets pushed upward.
  Several studies have shown that weight loss is effective in relieving acid reflux.
• Low carb diet: the evidence of so many researches suggests that consuming a low carb diet in your lifestyle prevents acid reflux to a greater extent. Having much undigested carbs in your stomach makes you bloated and gassy.
• Limit Alcohol Intake: Alcohol increases the symptoms of acid reflux by increasing stomach acid. Studies have revealed that moderate alcohol intake can cause acid reflux or heartburn in healthy individuals.
  So try to limit your alcohol intake to a minimum to avoid acid reflux.
• Don’t drink too much coffee: Studies have revealed that coffee temporarily weakens the lower esophageal sphincter which leads to an increase in the risk of acid reflux. It is possibly caused by the caffeine present in the coffee.
  Whether coffee intake affects acid reflux or not completely depends on the drinking habit of the individual. If you feel heartburn after having a coffee, they must avoid it or limit it.
• Don’t drink too much Citrus Juice: Citrus does not weaken the lower esophageal, but some of its ingredients irritate the lines of the esophagus. If you are facing acid reflux symptoms, then try to avoid citrus juice.
• Don’t Sleep just after having a meal: This is one of the most common habits of people that they sleep just after having a meal. Every food takes its time to digest properly, but if you don’t give it the time required, it may cause in your stomach.
  Try to walk and do some activity just after having a meal as it will improve your digestion and reduce the symptoms of acid reflux as well.

These are some of the proven effective ways to prevent Acid reflux or heartburn in your stomach. Try them to stay healthy as there is nothing more important than your health, so take care of it.