Heartburn can be effectively managed with at-home remedies, lifestyle changes, and over-the-counter heartburn medicine options.
Heartburn can be a pain—literally. But there’s no need for you to suffer. Today, we’ll look at the different ways you can get effective heartburn relief at home.
First Things First: What Are the Symptoms of Heartburn?
Heartburn is typically characterized by the following signs:
- A burning sensation in the chest or throat 5 — Typically felt behind the breastbone and can go up the throat, this burning sensation often occurs following a meal and tends to worsen when bending over or lying down.
- Sour or bitter taste in the mouth 5 — This usually occurs when the acidic juices in the stomach go back up the throat or mouth.
- Regurgitation 5 — Aside from stomach acid, people who have heartburn may also experience food going back up into the throat or mouth.
Find out more about the symptoms of heartburn.
| While closely related, heartburn and acid reflux are two different things. Acid reflux refers to the condition where stomach acid and food flow back up into the throat and mouth. Heartburn is just one of its symptoms. |
What Causes Heartburn?
- Acid reflux and GERD 5 — Both conditions are characterized by the backflow of stomach acid and food into the throat and mouth.
- Weakness in the lower esophageal sphincter 5 — This condition makes it easier for the food and acidic juices in your stomach to flow back up into your throat and mouth.
- Certain food and drinks 4 — Spicy, fatty, caffeinated, carbonated, alcoholic, and citrus food and drinks are all known to trigger and exacerbate heartburn.
- Large meals 4 — Eating too much too fast causes increased pressure in your stomach. This, in turn, can cause heartburn.
- Lying down right after a meal 4 — Doing so makes it easier for the contents of your stomach to go back up into your throat and mouth.
- Hiatal hernia 4 — This condition causes issues with the lower esophageal sphincter, limiting its ability to prevent the backflow of stomach acid and food.
- Smoking 6 — This not only triggers increased stomach acid production but also causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax.
- Pregnancy 4 — Aside from causing increased stomach pressure, pregnancy also triggers hormonal changes that could lead to heartburn.
- Certain medications 4 — Things like ibuprofen and other NSAIDs, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and some blood pressure medications are also known heartburn triggers. That being said, please do not stop taking your doctor-prescribed medications without checking with your doctor first.
- Stress 4 — While not considered a direct cause of heartburn, stress is known to interfere with digestion and cause increased stomach acid production1
- Certain medical conditions 4 — People with connective tissue disorders, gastroparesis, and diabetes are also more prone to experiencing heartburn.
Take note, however, that the causes of heartburn typically vary from one person to the next. Please consult your doctor for more information.
| Acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD have similar symptoms. The primary difference is that GERD is the more advanced form of acid reflux and happens when a person experiences acid reflux symptoms more than twice in one week. |
What Lifestyle Changes Can I Make for My Heartburn?
Aside from taking heartburn medicine, the following lifestyle changes and home remedies for heartburn can help your better manage the condition:
- Avoiding trigger foods2 — Skip things like spicy foods, tomatoes, mint, onions, coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, chocolate, fried or fatty foods, citrus fruits, alcohol, and garlic to prevent your condition from worsening.
- Minimizing or stopping smoking 6 — Doing so should help reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces and help promote healthy esophageal sphincter function.
- Eating smaller meals 2 — This should help reduce the pressure in your stomach that may be contributing to the backflow of its contents into your throat and mouth.
- Not lying down after a meal 2 — This may helpreduce the risk of the contents of your stomach from flowing back up.
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While remedies, treatments, and medications may be related, they do not refer to the same thing. A remedy is any substance, solution, or method intended to cure or relieve a particular health concern. It can be natural, traditional, homemade, or commercial. Treatment, on the other hand, includes everything done to relieve a medical condition. It can involve medication, therapy, surgery, lifestyle and dietary changes, and any other form of medical intervention. Finally, medication refers to drugs prescribed to prevent, treat, or manage medical conditions. |
Sodium Alginate + Sodium Bicarbonate + Calcium Carbonate (Gaviscon): The Over-the-Counter Medicine for Heartburn Relief
If the lifestyle changes and home remedies for heartburn we have mentioned do not work, it is time to take an over-the-counter heartburn medicine like Sodium Alginate + Sodium Bicarbonate + Calcium Carbonate (Gaviscon). A potent, fast-acting antacid for heartburn, it works in as fast as three minutes and provides effective heartburn relief for up to four hours.
Sodium Alginate + Sodium Bicarbonate + Calcium Carbonate (Gaviscon) is available at leading drug stores and pharmacies nationwide and on the Reckitt Health and Beauty on Lazada and Reckitt Health Official on Shopee.
When Should I See a Doctor for My Heartburn?
While lifestyle changes, home remedies, and over-the-counter medication can help with your heartburn, you should still see your doctor when:
- You experience symptoms more than two times in a single week or start experiencing more severe symptoms like nausea or vomiting
- You suddenly lose weight
- You start having difficulty swallowing or feeling pain when doing so
- You start feeling as if there is a lump in your throat
- You start experiencing prolonged coughing
- You start feeling a constant choking sensation
- You start experiencing chronic wheezing or hoarseness
- Your asthma starts getting worse
- You start experiencing extreme stomach pain
- You start experiencing chest pain along with pain in your jaw, neck, arms, or legs
- You start experiencing weakness and shortness of breath
- Your pulse starts becoming irregular
- You start sweating more than usual
- Your symptoms start affecting your daily activities
- You have been taking over-the-counter heartburn medicine for more than two weeks but the symptoms persist
Depending on your specific symptoms and condition, your doctor may prescribe a combination of lifestyle and dietary changes, over-the-counter heartburn medicine, and prescription drugs.
The Bottom Line: You Don’t Have to Suffer
From at-home remedies and lifestyle changes to taking an over-the-counter heartburn medicine like Sodium Alginate + Sodium Bicarbonate + Calcium Carbonate (Gaviscon), heartburn is a lot more manageable than you think. Take note, however, that if your symptoms persist or worsen, you need to contact your doctor immediately.
References:
- Mental stress and gastric acid secretion. Do personality traits influence the response?, available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2384046/. Accessed on 21 January 2025.
- GERD Diet: Foods That Help with Acid Reflux (Heartburn), available at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/gerd-diet-foods-that-help-with-acid-reflux-heartburn. Accessed on 16 Jan 2025.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heartburn/symptoms-causes/syc-20373223 . Accessed on February 3, 2025
- Heartburn, available at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9617-heartburn-overview. Accessed on 4 December 2024.
- Heartburn or heart attack: When to worry https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heartburn/in-depth/heartburn-gerd/art-20046483 . Accessed on February 3, 2025.
- The Effect of Smoking on GERD and Acid Reflux. https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd-acid-reflux/smoking-and-gerd . Accessed February 3, 2025.
