Do you have an acid reflux problem? If you do, then you likely have suffered through many days with that feeling in your throat. It can lead to larger problems, and it’s time that you took control over your life and your acid reflux. There are ways to make sure this problem is gone for good, so keep reading.

When your symptoms are at their worst, mix 1 teaspoon of regular baking soda with eight ounces of water. Drink this slowly, one sip at a time, until your symptoms subside. Do NOT do this every day as baking soda contains a great deal of sodium which can lead to a myriad of other health problems.

Supplements, like slippery elm, can help reduce the impacts of acid reflux on your stomach lining. This makes sure you’re protecting the stomach from the inside. Put a tablespoon or two into water after your meals and right before you go to sleep to maximize its effectiveness.

After you eat, try to chew some cinnamon gum. Chewing gum helps to stimulate your saliva glands. The saliva will help neutralize stomach acid. Also, people swallow much more often when they are chewing gum, and this will clear out any acid that is in the esophagus. You may use fruit flavored gum if you prefer that. Any gum that contains mint may have the effect of relaxing your esophageal sphincter, which exacerbates the condition.

Limit the amount of liquid you consume with all your meals. Too much liquid can cause the stomach to become much too full, which increases your chances of suffering from acid reflux symptoms. You should only allow yourself to have small sips of water in between your bites of food.

To reduce the risk of acid reflux, lose those extra pounds. Acid reflux is very common among obese and overweight people. By shedding one-tenth of your total body weight, you may see significant reductions in the occurrence of reflux. Don’t crash diet to lose weight, instead start eating less and exercising more.

While eating your meals, limit your beverage consumption. Although this may sound silly, drinking lots of beverages during your meals can actually cause acid reflux. This is because liquids increase the volume of food in your stomach. When your stomach is full, the lower esophageal sphincter has more pressure placed upon it. This muscle prevents food from coming up through your esophagus, which prevents acid reflux. You need to protect your lower esophageal sphincter as much as possible.

Try to drink mostly in between meals if you suffer from acid reflux. When your stomach is full of food an liquid, the lower esophageal sphincter is under constant pressure. This can cause it to allow the food and acid in your stomach to come back up into your esophagus and destroy the lining within.

If you smoke, you need to quit. Obviously, there are many reasons why you should quit, but if you suffer from acid reflux, this is yet another reason. Smoking slows down your digestion and reduces your saliva production, which worsens acid reflux symptoms. In addition, smoking harms your LES muscle, further worsening your acid reflux. Quitting this terrible habit can significantly improve your acid reflux, not to mention all the other benefits.

Your body weight can play a major role in your stomach issues. Having extra fat in your mid-section puts extra added pressure on your stomach and increases acid reflux symptoms. If you have some weight to lose, losing it can help you cut down on acid reflux incidences. Living a healthier lifestyle can help you feel better in more ways than one.

If there are not enough reasons to quit smoking, here is one more. Quitting smoking will greatly reduce the likelihood of contracting GERD. The digestion process is slowed down by smoking and it also increases production of stomach acid. Smoking reduces the production of saliva which is the body’s defense against stomach acid.

Elevate your head at least 5 inches when you are sleeping to create a better flow of saliva down your esophagus when you are sleeping. This will help to reduce the acid that builds up in your stomach so that you do not wake up with any symptoms in the morning.

Reduce or eliminate your alcoholic consumption because alcohol can interfere with gastric emptying. As a result, your acid reflux can worsen. If you cannot completely eliminate alcohol, then try consuming it in moderate amounts and diluting it with water or soda. In addition, if you are a wine drinker, try white wine rather than red because white doesn’t flare up acid reflux symptoms as bad.

Now that you’ve been told the tips that have been given to you in this article, you need to focus on a good plan for making sure that you bring them to fruition. You don’t want to suffer through your acid reflux any more of your days. Put the information you’ve read to good use as you work towards a better life without acid reflux.