Have you ever had an uncomfortable, burning sensation in your throat and chest? This is called heartburn. However, don’t let the name fool you, it actually doesn’t have anything to do with the heart. This horrible burning sensation usually occurs after you have eaten something. Other than the feeling your chest is on fire, you may also experience a sour or bitter taste in your mouth. Sounds great, doesn’t it? This feeling typically happens when stomach acids goes back up into your esophagus. Heartburn can last anywhere from just a couple of minutes to hours on end. But either way, it’s not something you want to deal with, as it can affect your daily life. That’s why today we’re going to take a look at 7+ most effective remedies on how to get rid of heartburn as fast as possible.
Heartburn can last anywhere from just a couple of minutes to hours on end
Contents
In order for our bodies to digest our food properly, we have something called stomach acid. Your esophagus is a long tube that goes from your mouth to the stomach. In order to keep acid and digested food out of the esophagus, there is a little circular ring of muscle right at the end of the tube. This ring acts like a valve. Opening up when food needs to go to the stomach and closing so acid cannot back up to your esophagus. However, in some cases this valve relaxes abnormally, which causes it to open up, and the acid goes back to the esophagus tube. This is how heartburn occurs, and it’s called acid reflex. It’s not uncommon and plenty of thing may cause it. But how to get rid of heartburn? Here are some of the best methods:
How to get rid of heartburn
Ripe bananas have many uses – you can make banana bread, compost, and you can also treat heartburn! The high potassium content in them makes them an alkaline food. This means that they can help counteract the acid in the stomach that’s annoying your esophagus. However, it’s important you use specifically ripe bananas, as they are more alkaline than unripe bananas.
Eat a ripe banana
Did you know that even a small change in your posture may help with the acid reflux? Here gravity is your friend. If you are laying or stretching out on the couch, it’s much easier for the stomach acid to flow into your esophagus. That’s why just standing up or sitting up can help the acid go down quicker. If you are going to bed however, you probably don’t want to sleep standing up. That’s why you can use some pillows to elevate your upper body.
Avoid slouching on the couch
Saliva is essential when having to battle heartburn. This is because it helps to dilute the acid. Try chewing some sugar-free gum, as chewing gum can increase the saliva amount you produce. Chew it for around half an hour after you’ve had a meal.
Have some sugar-free gum
Make sure you are using baking soda and not powder. This remedy has been used by different cultures over thousands of years. All you need to do is mix a cup of water with a teaspoon of baking soda. The soda helps neutralize the stomach acid, thus reducing the symptoms of heartburn.
Use baking soda and not powder
What isn’t apple cider vinegar good for? Vinegar is generally good for keeping up a healthy gut, so it’s not surprising it can also help with heartburn. Just take a cup of water and mix in three teaspoons of the apple cider vinegar. Drink this mixture before bedtime or before every meal.
Add apple cider vinegar to your daily diet
Aloe vera is amazing at handling and soothing burns. This also goes for internal burns, in this case. Go and get some aloe juice. This juice is delicious, and it’s incredible at keeping the acid reflux at bay. Add drinking half a cup of aloe vera before meals to your daily habits to help keep your system soothed.
Aloe vera juice is refreshing and soothing
Drinking water is a must during the day. But when you are experiencing heartburn, it’s a great idea to have a glass as it will help flush down the acid from the esophagus back into the stomach. This will reduce the symptoms. If you also have access to alkaline water – even better! Since the stomach has a very low, acidic pH, drinking alkaline water that has a high pH will help to balance out the symptoms.
Drink some alkaline water
Ginger has many benefits. It has been used for centuries to treat different conditions such as nausea. It has also been shown to be quite beneficial to heartburn as well. Add some fresh ginger to your meals, or sip on some ginger tea.
Ginger is great for nausea too
If nothing else seems to work for you, maybe it’s time to take a trip to the pharmacy. There is a huge variety in over-the-counter medications for heartburn, so ask your local pharmacist or your doctor what they would recommend.
Take some medication
Okay, but rather than having to deal with heartburn, it’s important to understand what may trigger it, so you can avoid it and prevent this horrible burning sensation. After all, prevention is better than treatment. Here are some of the most common causes:
Avoid overeating
Skip out on the fried food
These were all the tips and tricks we have on how to get rid of heartburn. We hope you found this article useful! Once you tackle the heartburn, you can learn how to prevent it all around, so you won’t have to worry about experiencing this terrible sensation again.
It’s best to prevent heartburn
