Regardless of the cause of your acid reflux, lying down — whether it’s at night or during the day — is bound to worsen symptoms and prolong the time it will take your body to digest your food completely.
What Causes Acid Reflux at Night and What to Do
If you frequently experience acid reflux, you’ve probably learned the hard way that symptoms can be worse when you’re trying to sleep.
Lying flat doesn’t allow gravity to help move food and acids down the esophagus and through your digestive system, so the acid is allowed to pool in place.
Thankfully, there are some strategies you can employ to reduce the frequency and intensity of acid reflux, as well as minimize the complications that accompany the condition at night.
These steps are especially important in helping to avoid damage to the lining of the esophagus that can occur if acid reflux is poorly managed, as well as helping you get better sleep.
Treatment for mild or infrequent bouts of acid reflux may include one or more of the following strategies:
Try OTC or prescription medications
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications can sometimes help relieve heartburn:
- antacids, like Tums and Maalox, neutralize stomach acid
- H2 receptor blockers, such as cimetidine (Tagamet HB) or famotidine (Pepcid AC), can reduce stomach acid production
- proton pump inhibitors, like omeprazole (Prilosec), block and reduce stomach acid production
For more serious cases of GERD, these also come in prescription strengths. Always speak to your doctor if you’re using OTC options frequently. PPIs should be taken under a doctor’s guidance.
Avoid food and drink triggers
To help prevent GERD, it helps to know what foods or beverages trigger your symptoms. Each person is different, but some common acid reflux triggers include:
- alcohol
- caffeinated drinks
- spicy foods
- citrus fruits
- tomatoes
- onions
- garlic
- chocolate
- peppermint
- fried and fatty foods
Keep track of symptoms
Keeping a food diary and noting when you have symptoms can help you pinpoint what foods might be problematic. This way, you can avoid them or at least eat less of them.
You can also keep track of your symptoms if they’re unconnected to foods.
Know your medication side effects
Certain medications may contribute to GERD. Some common ones include:
- anticholinergics, which treat, among other conditions, overactive bladder and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- calcium channel blockers, which help lower blood pressure
- tricyclic antidepressants
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil)
If these or other medications are causing acid reflux or other symptoms, tell your doctor. Alternative treatments may be available.
Reduce stress
Among the many health benefits that come with stress reduction, less heartburn is one that may inspire you to try yoga, meditation, or find other healthy ways to improve your mood and address stress.
Maintain a moderate weight
Obesity or overweight can influence the frequency of experiencing acid reflux. This is because extra weight, especially around the abdomen, can put pressure on the stomach and lead to acid spilling up into the esophagus.
Sometimes weight loss can help reduce symptoms. Speak to your doctor to see if they recommend this.
To prevent acid reflux at night:
- Sleep with your head elevated. Try a mattress lifter, a wedge-shaped pillow, or add a pillow to help keep your stomach contents from moving upward.
- Sleep on your left side.Sleeping on your left side may help improve the flow of acid and other contents from the esophagus into the stomach.
- Eat smaller more frequent meals. Eat several smaller meals throughout the day rather than two or three large meals. Avoid eating high-calorie, high-fat meals in the evening.
- Try different foods. Eat more vegetables and oatmeal, which are among foods that help acid reflux symptoms.
- Chew a lot. Chewing food slowly and thoroughly makes food smaller and may make digestion easier.
- Time it right. Wait at least 3 hours after eating before lying down.
- Improve your posture. Try standing up straight to elongate your esophagus and give your stomach more room.
- Stop smoking.Smoking can irritate the esophagus, the airways, and can cause coughing, which can trigger acid reflux or make it worse.
- Avoid clothes that put pressure on your middle. Avoid clothes that fit too tightly around your waist.
- Take an easy walk. Try taking a leisurely walk after dinner to help accelerate digestion and reduce the risk of stomach acid seeping up into your esophagus.
Normally, when you eat or drink something, the band of muscle at the bottom of your esophagus — called the lower esophageal sphincter — relaxes and allows food and liquid to flow into your stomach.
The sphincter closes and stomach acid starts to break down whatever you just consumed. If the sphincter becomes weak, or if it relaxes abnormally, stomach acid can move up through the sphincter and irritate the lining of the esophagus.
Pregnancy
Up to 45 percent of people experience heartburn during pregnancy. It’s not always clear why it occurs, though it’s sometimes due to changes in the position of your internal organs.
Pregnancy sometimes triggers acid reflux or GERD as the growing fetus puts pressure on the organs around it, including the stomach and esophagus.
Hernia
A hiatal hernia can also lead to acid reflux because it causes the stomach and lower esophageal sphincter to move above the muscular diaphragm, which usually helps keep stomach acid from moving upward.
Smoking
Smoking can contribute to the problem in a few ways, including increasing stomach acid production and weakening the sphincter.
Big meals and eating certain foods
The occasional episode of acid reflux may also just be the result of a little more acid production than usual — perhaps brought on by a particularly large meal or your sensitivity to certain foods.
And if you lie down before all your food is digested, you run the risk of having some of that excess acid leak through the sphincter.
Regardless of the cause of your acid reflux, lying down — whether it’s at night or during the day — is bound to worsen symptoms and prolong the time it will take your body to digest your food completely.
When it’s GERD
If you have acid reflux more than twice a week, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Unlike infrequent acid reflux episodes, GERD may require a doctor’s care and more involved treatment.
While avoiding any acid reflux is ideal, managing symptoms well before bedtime can make it easier to sleep and prevent ongoing irritation of the esophagus at night.
If you know a particular food may trigger acid reflex, try to avoid it, especially at dinner. And if you have success easing acid reflux with antacids or other medications, be sure to take them well in advance of bedtime.
If you’re still having symptoms, prop up the head of your sleeping surface as much as possible to help you sleep.
Untreated GERD can lead to serious complications. Try out some prevention tips to help manage your reflux and a better night’s sleep.
Last medically reviewed on November 25, 2019
How we reviewed this article:
Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Chang P, et al. (2014). Obesity and GERD. DOI:
10.1016/j.gtc.2013.11.009 - Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/symptoms-causes/syc-20361940 - Singh M, et al. (2014). Weight loss can lead to resolution of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms: A prospective intervention trial.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3853378/ - Vazquez JC. (2015). Heartburn in pregnancy.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4562453/
Home Remedies for Heartburn: 9 Ways to Get Rid of Acid Reflux
Despite what its name implies, heartburn has nothing to do with your heart. Rather, it’s a burning sensation in your chest that occurs when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, the 10-inch tube connecting your mouth to your stomach.
When it hits, heartburn can last for just a few minutes or as long as several hours. Either way, it’s uncomfortable — so it’s no surprise if you’re looking for a way to get rid of the sensation fast.
What causes heartburn and what does it feel like exactly?
According to the American College of Gastroenterology, stomach acid is needed to break down the food you eat, something your stomach has no trouble handling. Your esophagus, on the other hand, is irritated by it.
To keep stomach acid (and digesting food) in your stomach and out of your esophagus, a circular ring of muscle at the tube’s base, called the lower esophageal sphincter, acts as a valve. When this valve is relaxed, food you’ve consumed is allowed to pass through to your stomach. When contracted, this valve prevents this food and acid from backing up into your esophagus.
If this valve relaxes abnormally and stomach acid is allowed to travel back into your esophagus, acid reflux occurs. Heartburn is the most well-known and obvious symptom.
It can feel differently depending on its severity, but heartburn symptoms include:
- A burning sensation in your chest, behind your breastbone
- Burning pain that rises up toward your throat
- Having a bitter or sour taste in your mouth
Acid reflux and heartburn are sometimes caused by an underlying medical condition, or even a medication you’re taking in some cases. But, more often than not, they’re triggered by things like your diet and lifestyle choices — making the occasional bout of heartburn fairly common.
Common triggers of heartburn include:
- Overeating or eating too quickly
- Lying down too soon after eating
- Consuming certain foods, including caffeine, carbonated beverages, alcohol, peppermint, citrus, tomato-based products, chocolate and fatty or spicy foods
- Being overweight
- Smoking
- Stress and anxiety
9 home remedies for heartburn
If you’re trying to avoid acid reflux or get rid of heartburn fast, here are nine ways to ease — maybe even prevent — your symptoms:
1. Keep a food journal and avoid trigger foods
As mentioned, certain foods and drinks can trigger acid reflux and heartburn. You can help identify the specific foods most likely to give you issues by keeping a food and symptom log. Once you do identify them, avoid these foods and drinks whenever possible.
2. Resist the urge to overeat or eat quickly
When it comes to preventing heartburn, watching portion sizes at meals can go a long way. Having a large amount of food in your stomach may put more pressure on the valve that keeps stomach acid out of your esophagus, making acid reflux and heartburn more likely. If you’re prone to heartburn, consider eating smaller meals more frequently. Eating quickly can also be a trigger of heartburn so be sure to slow down and take time to chew food and drink beverages.
3. Avoid late meals, snacking before bed and eating before exercising
Laying down with a stomach full of food can trigger acid reflux and make heartburn symptoms worse. Avoid eating within 3 hours of your bedtime so your stomach has plenty of time to empty. You may also want to wait at least two hours before exercising.
4. Eat alkaline foods, like a ripe banana
The high potassium content of a banana makes it a fairly alkaline food. And, according to the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, this means it may help counteract the stomach acid irritating your esophagus.
A disclaimer, though: Unripe bananas are less alkaline, starch-heavy and may actually be an acid reflux trigger for some people. So be sure to choose a banana that’s ripe.
Other alkaline foods that may help offset heartburn include melons, cauliflower, fennel and nuts.
5. Wear loose-fitting clothing
If you’re prone to heartburn, tight-fitting belts and clothing that squeeze your belly may be contributing to your symptoms.
6. Adjust your sleep position
Elevating your head and chest higher than your feet as you sleep can help prevent and ease acid reflux and heartburn. You can do this using a foam wedge placed under the mattress or by raising bedposts using wood blocks. Beware of piling pillows, as this usually isn’t effective and may even make your symptoms worse. Additionally, sleeping on your left side is thought to aid digestion and may work to limit stomach acid reflux.
7. Take steps to lose weight if you are overweight
Excess weight puts extra pressure on your stomach, increasing your risk of acid reflux and heartburn. Eating a well-balanced diet and getting 150 minutes of physical activity per week are the first two steps to maintaining a healthy weight and losing excess weight.
8. Stop smoking if you smoke
Smoking reduces the amount of saliva produced and impacts the effectiveness of the valve that keeps stomach acid from entering the esophagus, both of which make heartburn more likely. Quitting smoking can reduce the frequency and severity of acid reflux and, in some cases, even eliminate it.
9. Reduce stress
Chronic stress takes a physical toll on your body, including slowing digestion and making you more sensitive to pain. The longer food sits in your stomach, the more likely stomach acid is to reflux. Additionally, having an increased sensitivity to pain can make you feel the burning pain of heartburn more intensely. Taking steps to reduce stress may help prevent or ease the effects of acid reflux and heartburn.
What to do if heartburn is severe or frequent
For mild, occasional heartburn, over-the-counter medications such as antacids and histamine blockers can help relieve symptoms. Always read the product label before taking an antacid or histamine blocker and never take a larger dose or take doses more frequently than directed.
If you’re experiencing heartburn frequently, consult your doctor before taking heartburn medications regularly since these drugs can interfere with many other medications and affect underlying health conditions you may have.
If you have severe heartburn, as well as if it persists or worsens after taking steps to relieve it, consult your doctor. In some cases, heartburn can be a sign of an underlying condition, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or possibly a side effect of a medication you’re taking.
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