acid reflux symptoms should not be taken lightly and seeing a doctor is recommended. Your doctor will give you a list of things you can do. Starting an acid reflux diet may be one change that will help. However you may already have changed to a diet that will lower the chances of you having acid reflux symptoms. Improvement should be there after changing to an acid reflux diet but if not then there are other factors to take into account. It may not be the food but your actual eating habits or it could even be related to stress.

Consuming acid producing food is one problem that gives heartburn but there are also plenty of others. There are many factors that can see your acid reflux symptoms fluctuating from day to day.

The way we eat also contributes.

Here is a list of things you can do:-

• Sit up straight when eating- Do not slouch?
• Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly
• Eat smaller portions- Six small meals a day are better than three large ones
• Try not to drink during your meal- especially alcohol

If you have tried the small changes above and still have problems then there is a great system called “heartburn No More” that can help. Find out more about the holistic system “Heartburn No More” in this article.

Not only is it what you eat but your eating habits can also cause trouble. One enormous help is changing the way you eat. Eating large meals overloads the digestion system making food stay in the stomach longer. This in turn creates more acid which exasperates the problem and the excess acid ends up in your esophagus. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help and is much easier to digest.

Sitting up straight when eating allows your food to have better entry into the stomach.The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) also has less strain on it. As the digestion of food actually starts in the mouth eating slowly and chewing your food is a big help. Food breakdown and digestion starts in the mouth with our saliva.

Once food has been taken what do you do- proceeding with the following can promote acid reflux.

• Exercising after a meal
• Lying down flat after a meal
• Starting activities that need vigorous actions

The chances of refluxing acid into the esophagus increases if you start vigorous exercise after a meal as the digestive process slows down. Gastric emptying is one of the problems that can occur when the digestion is slow. Normally the food is digested and enters the small intestine where the body starts absorbing nutrients. Emptying of gastric juices is delayed when the digestion is slow. This means that undigested food is sitting in the stomach which in turn needs more stomach acid to aid digestion. This increase in stomach acid means that there is more chance that the stomach contents will be pushed back up into the esophagus and cause heartburn problems. An activity like bending over can be especially bad.

After a meal exercise should be curtailed. Ask a professional sportsman if they eat just before exercising? Any type of vigorous exercise places a strain on the LES and also slows down the absorption of nutrients into the body. It takes energy to digest your food. Your body becomes sluggish if all your energy is divided between eating and exercising. If you have ever tried exercising after a meal then you will know what I mean.

Digestion is a slow process and food can take up to four hours to digest. The food in the stomach is semi liquid and the digestive enzymes needed to break down the food work best in an acidic environment, as opposed to a more alkaline environment. The initial digestion is crucial especially for those who suffer from acid reflux. Because reflux is more susceptible in sufferers they should stay sitting up after eating. At night folk should eat between two and three hours before goings to bed, the longer the better. After eating it is best to stay upright as lying down promotes heartburn.

Stress

Stress can be good for us in small quantities. A little stress keeps you ticking over and can be motivating. You may get the job done better with a little stress as long as it is not too much. Our physical and mental wellbeing can suffer greatly with too much stress. Indeed it is supposed to be one of the biggest problems in our modern way of living. Acid reflux can be one of the outcomes of having stress.

When you are under stressful conditions your body will respond. One of the things it does to combat stress is to send blood to the different parts of the body under stress. Our digestion process is slowed down because vital energy is taken away from it. You may have an office job but on a particularly stressful day you can get home from work thinking you have just run a marathon (totally exhausted). If this happens regularly then your digestion suffers and acid reflux can be encountered.

People with stress tend to eat foods that promote heartburn. Usually more alcohol is taken and people smoke more while under stress. Foods that are sweet high in fat and salt are also usually taken when stressed. These habits will increase the risk of acid reflux.

There are ways to help if you find yourself under stress. Try some activities or sports which can relieve the tension. Yoga and other relaxing exercise can remove stress. Vent your feelings and get it of your chest with someone who will listen to you. Finding a way to reduce your stress levels can counter acid reflux.

Clothing

What you wear can have a great bearing on your body if you suffer from acid reflux. Wearing tight clothing especially when eating, directs a lot of pressure onto the LES and is a major contributor to acid reflux. We know that everyone wants to be fashionable, wearing tight jeans and belts but it does promote acid reflux especially if you suffer badly from it anyway. Other items that can add pressure to the LES are such things as corsets.

Combining acid reflux diets with stress relieving tactics can help. So can lifestyle changes like stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol and loosing weight. If you cannot do this on your own then there are proven systems like the “heartburn No More” system which can help.