If your heartburn goes on for a long time, it may be a sign of a more serious condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Your doctor may be able to tell if GERD is the cause of your heartburn from your symptoms.
Heartburn Is Normal
Although heartburn can be annoying and occasionally painful enough to make it hard to sleep or do other activities, it is usually not a cause for concern. There are times when heartburn may persist for a 24-hour period or more, but it does not yet qualify as acid reflux disease.
“This can occur for multiple reasons that cause intra-abdominal pressure to be abnormally elevated, including being overweight or obese, frequent overeating, lying down too soon after eating, chronic straining or coughing, or chronic heavy lifting. These are typically the people who are more susceptible to GERD.”
Is GERD (chronic acid reflux) dangerous or life-threatening? GERD isn't life-threatening or dangerous in itself. But long-term GERD can lead to more serious health problems: Esophagitis: Esophagitis is the irritation and inflammation the stomach acid causes in the lining of the esophagus.
Acid reflux is common and it can come and go, especially after eating certain foods. Normal people may have acid reflux for an hour a day and not feel anything. It may disappear without the help of medication.
Heartburn can last for a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the cause. If heartburn is due to something you ate, you will probably have symptoms until the food has been digested. Lying down or bending over can cause symptoms to return even after you've started to feel better.
Acid reflux can cause a burning sensation in the throat and chest. Drinking water, low fat milk, and herbal teas may help manage it. Alcohol, caffeinated drinks, and sodas may worsen symptoms, however. Acid reflux, or heartburn, occurs when stomach acid flows up into a person's esophagus, or food pipe.
The duration of GERD symptoms can vary from person to person. In some cases, symptoms may occasionally last a few hours. In other cases, symptoms may be more frequent and persist for several days or weeks.
The symptoms could last from a few minutes to several hours. Heartburn begins when stomach acid splashes up into your esophagus, a tube that connects the back of your throat and stomach. Besides the burning feeling in your chest, you may also get: Chest pain, especially after you bend over, lie down, or eat.
Water. In general, drinking water can help balance the pH of a particularly acidic meal, which may help to lower the risk of acid reflux. Studies show that drinking mineral water with a high hydrogen carbonate content can help to alleviate the frequency and severity of acid reflux.
The fat in milk can aggravate acid reflux. But nonfat milk can act as a temporary buffer between the stomach lining and acidic stomach contents and provide immediate relief of heartburn symptoms."
Supragastric burping: This involves a person suctioning in air, often subconsciously, from their mouth into their esophagus. The person then expels the air through their pharynx, the tube that carries air, food, and fluid down from the mouth and nose. People may do this to relieve symptoms of acid reflux.
In addition to elevating your upper body with a wedge pillow, avoiding meals close to bedtime, and taking heartburn medications, a small study suggests that sleeping on your left side may help. The findings were published in the February 2022 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Regurgitation is when food, liquid, or stomach acid comes up from the stomach into your mouth. It occurs in 80% of people with GERD, which can be treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications. Other causes include stomach ulcers, gastritis, and being pregnant or overweight.
Mild acid reflux typically occurs in the same place each time you experience a flare-up of your symptoms. However, if the pain moves around your stomach or chest or it relocates to a new area entirely, you should go to the ER or your doctor immediately.
Heartburn may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. It should go away when the last meal you ate has passed out of your stomach. Once your stomach has emptied its contents, there should be nothing left to come back up (reflux).
Your physician may suggest certain lifestyle changes, such as avoiding high-fat or spicy foods. Citrus fruits, mint flavorings, alcohol and coffee can aggravate GERD, too. These foods may irritate the esophagus or may make acid reflux more likely to occur by affecting the lower esophageal sphincter.
Soda – Sodas and other carbonated beverages, specifically caffeinated ones, are one of the biggest risk factors for acid reflux. Carbonation causes distension in the stomach, which increases pressure on the esophageal sphincter, leading to reflux.
Gaviscon can be used to treat heartburn (acid reflux) and indigestion. The medicine works by forming a protective layer that floats on top of the contents of your stomach. This stops stomach acid escaping up into your food pipe.
The terms acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD are often used interchangeably, but they actually mean different things. Acid reflux is the backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus. The feeling of acid reflux is heartburn: a mild burning sensation in the mid-chest, often occurring after meals or when lying down.