Acid reflux, also known as heartburn, is a health condition in which a burning sensation is experienced in the chest area. This burning sensation is caused due to the upward movement of stomach acids back into the esophagus or food pipe. If a person experiences acid reflux more than two times a week, then he/she is diagnosed with GERD (Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease). Apart from hiatal hernia, the most common causes are mostly based on your lifestyle. So yes, acid reflux is a lifestyle disorder and here are the reasons to support it.
How your lifestyle can cause acid reflux?
Here are the top ways in which your lifestyle can lead to health problems like GERD.
- Eating lots of foods – It is always recommended to eat small portions of food for the whole day. This is because small meals help in keeping you fit and healthy. But when you eat a lot of food at once, it can always cause the food to rush back up in the windpipe. Thus, it causes the burning feeling in your chest due to acid reflux symptoms.
- Lying down immediately after eating – Health experts always recommend everyone to take a walk after eating meals. Walking helps in proper digestion of food while preventing issues like GERD and constipation, etc. If you lie down immediately after eating, it can always cause the food to rush back into the food pipe. This happens because the food is still not processed by your stomach. Moreover, your horizontal posture also adds up to the acid reflux process.
- Heavy eating – If you want your digestive system to digest the food quickly, it is always better to eat light foods. When you heavy foods, it becomes difficult for your stomach to process them easily. Thus, it can always cause the food to rush back into your food pipe to cause acid reflux.
- Eating late at night – Medical experts suggest that everyone should eat food 2-3 hours before bedtime. This helps our digestive system to easily process and digest the foods we eat. But if you eat meals right before going to bed, it can always upset your digestive system. Thus, it can further lead to health problems like A.R and GERD.