The main symptom of a heartburn is a painful/burning feeling in your chest. This occurs when the stomach acids flow into the esophagus after eating spicy or oily food due to chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease. So, how to stop heartburn? You can try natural home remedies for heartburn and take some preventive measures. For more serious or chronic indigestion or acid reflux problem, consult your doctor.

Here are some easy ways to manage Heartburn

1. Change your Eating Style
Eating too fast or too much at a time can cause heartburn. Imbibe a practice of eating slowly instead of gulping down your food. You can also eat smaller frequent meals instead of three large meals every day. If you experience heartburn frequently, avoid eating too close to your bedtime. A heartburn can last for a few minutes to an hour or more. It can continue for a few days unless you treat it. It is, therefore, important to plan your meals properly.

2. Remove Food Triggers
Oily and excessively spicy foods are common triggers for indigestion. Coffee, milk, tea, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and chocolate can also cause heartburn in some people. Other triggers can be tomatoes, citrus fruits, garlic, and onion.

3. Avoid Physical Activities after Meals
If you experience frequent heartburn, refrain from heavy physical activities right after your meals. Don’t climb stairs or walk too fast right after finishing a meal. If you need to exercise, do it at least three hours after your last meal.

4. Change your Posture
When you begin to feel acidic in your stomach, stand up if you can and simply walk around your room or wherever you are during that time. If you are in bed and find it uncomfortable to stand up, elevate your position from the waist up and sit like this until you begin to feel a little better. If your doctor has prescribed you medicines for acidity, you can take those if needed. Walk around for a bit until you feel your stomach settling down.

5. Wear Comfortable Clothing
If you eat your meals wearing tight or uncomfortable clothing, it can aggravate your indigestion. So, if you experience heartburn, ensure that your belt is not too tight.
For relief, adjust your clothing to remove pressure from your abdomen area. Baking soda mixed with water is considered effective for calming the stomach as it acts as a neutralizing agent. You can also chew a gum as it also helps to clear excessive acid from the stomach.

6. Manage your Weight Better
Extra weight, especially around the abdomen, can put unwanted pressure on the stomach. This can trigger episodes of heartburn and if you frequently experience heartburn, try to lose some weight. Manage your weight in a healthy manner to keep indigestion away.

7. Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Stress can contribute to indigestion. So, manage it better if you frequently have acid reflux episodes after your meals. Quit smoking as it can also cause indigestion. If you suffer from extreme indigestion, refrain from using OTC medicines and consult with a doctor to find the cause and treat it properly.