Understand & Manage Heartburn & Indigestion

While heartburn and indigestion are frequent enough experiences, that does not mean that they are well-understood. Most people do not appreciate the differences between the two, or even understand what you might do about them if you are in the grip of an attack of either kind. Heartburn is the same thing as acid reflux, and is constituted by that burning feeling of something rising to your throat. This experience is a result of indigestion at some times, and at others may occur on its own. Either way, it’s going to be useful to have some sense of what you can do about it, and how you can prevent it from occurring in the first place. This will lead to greater comfort, as well as an improved sense of overall health.

The Causes

So what causes indigestion? At first glance, you might feel that you can venture the answer ‘food,’ but that alone does not really explain it. Nor does it account for the many other potential causes of heartburn and indigestion. In fact, anxiety may increase the likelihood that you experience indigestion, as may smoking (anything), drinking too much coffee or alcohol, or taking certain drugs, some legal and others illicit. Doing something about all that is, therefore, a good idea, as is dealing with the main problem itself: eating properly. For most of all, indigestion is caused by poor eating habits - habits which can easily be altered or rectified.

Managing The Pain

Anyone who has ever had bad indigestion will know full well that it amounts to much more than just a little discomfort. At its worst, it is a downright serious pain, and one which can persist for many hours or, for some unfortunate souls, even a day or more. The priority will be to manage the pain, therefore, and the good news there is that there are plenty of ways to do so. The simplest is to use over-the-counter zantac tablets to help relieve the discomfort. You might also find that lying down and moving very little may help the symptoms to subside more steadily and smoothly. Approach from all angles if you wish to deal with it fast.

 

Pic Credit - CCO Licence

Cutting The Recurrence Rate

If you are hoping to try and stop it from happening in the future, you should aim to alter various aspects of your lifestyle. Most importantly, it is wise to avoid spicy and fatty foods as much as possible, especially if you are particularly prone to indigestion and heartburn. Cutting down on your caffeine and alcohol is also wise, as is getting plenty of sleep at night - so often the case for improving any aspect of your health. If you smoke, you should aim to stop - or at least cut down. All of this combined will lead to a much lower recurrence rate, and you will find dinnertime a much less worrisome prospect.

With the right approach, this issue can be managed as well as any other health problem, so it’s wise to do so.