10 Ways to Prevent Acid Reflux

For those that are living with acid reflux or GERD symptoms, finding ways to reduce the severity of their symptoms or the frequency of their occurrence can have a huge impact on your daily quality of life.

With that in mind, the Felix team has put together some useful information for you, which explores some methods for how to stop acid reflux symptoms when they occur, as well as ways to prevent acid reflux from taking control of your life.

If you’d like to speak to a healthcare practitioner about some medications that may be able to assist in your treatment plan, complete a short online assessment to get started today.

What Helps to Prevent Acid Reflux from Starting?

It’s important to start this discussion by clarifying that acid reflux is a normal thing that occurs in everyone occasionally. Normally, this happens 2-3 hours after meals. However, when acid reflux symptoms become frequent or severe, they can start to impact your daily quality of life.

Tip 1: Lose Weight (If You’re Overweight)

One of the best methods for how to reduce the likelihood of acid reflux occurring is to try to maintain a healthy Body Mass Index.

People with a BMI of 27-30 are considered overweight, and those with BMIs above 30 are living with obesity. Both of these conditions increase the risks of acid reflux or GERD occurring.

Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, alongside regular exercise is a good way to start losing weight, though it may not work for everyone. Due to biology and genetics, many people struggle with weight management. If this sounds like you, consider talking to a practitioner at Felix today.

Tip 2: Quit Smoking

Smoking drastically increases the risks of acid reflux occurring.

Therefore, if you’re a smoker, quitting can be a great way to prevent acid reflux from either occurring or worsening.

Lifestyle Adjustments to Consider

The best way to start your treatment plan is to make some lifestyle adjustments, which can help reduce the chances of acid reflux occurring in the first place.

They may also help reduce or even eliminate symptoms in some people, depending on the causes, without the need for medications.

Tip 3: Avoiding Trigger Foods

There are a number of different foods that can increase your chances of experiencing acid reflux symptoms after eating them.

Some of these foods include:

• Chocolate
• Peppermint
• Fatty foods
• Alcohol

Tip 4: Sleep on Your Left Side

The place where your esophagus connects to your stomach at the esophageal junction is located in the right corner of your abdomen.

When you sleep on your left side, it puts this connection point at the top of your stomach, making it harder for acid and/or food to make its way back into your esophagus.

Tip 5: Raise the Head of Your Bed

Raising the head of your bed 6-8 inches up is another great way that you can use gravity to help you fight acid reflux symptoms.

This involves more than just sleeping with more pillows at the head of the bed, though. Doing that will only lift up your neck and head.

Using a stable base (i.e., wooden boards, metal bars, etc.), to raise the actual head of your bed frame means that your chest, shoulders, neck, and head will all be resting above your stomach when you’re sleeping.

In turn, this makes it more difficult for acid and/or food to travel back up into the esophagus.

Tip 6: Additional Lifestyle Adjustments

Although they haven’t been proven clinically, it’s also believed that avoiding meals right before bedtime can help reduce the chances of acid reflux occurring overnight. 

Also, wearing loose, comfortable clothing can help to reduce the risks of acid reflux occurring, because there’s less chance they could contribute to things like hiatus hernias, which can trigger acid reflux.

How Do You Get Rid of Acid Reflux Fast?

Tips 7, 8 & 9: Antacids, Alginates & Histamine Receptor Antagonists

When it comes to how to stop acid reflux fast, both antacids and histamine receptor antagonists can provide virtually instantaneous acid reflux relief. Antacids (i.e., TUMS, Maalox, etc.) are available over-the-counter, while many histamine receptor antagonists require a prescription.

If you’d like to talk to a practitioner about acid reflux medications that may work as part of your treatment plan, complete an assessment to get started with Felix today.

Will Acid Reflux Go Away Naturally?

It can, though determining the catalyst that’s triggering the acid reflux and avoiding it can be the best way to end acid reflux symptoms.

This takes us back to our first 6 tips - start by exploring lifestyle adjustments and see what helps.

• Lose weight, if you’re overweight
• Quit smoking, if you smoke
• Avoid trigger foods (i.e., fatty foods, alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, etc.)
• Start sleeping on your left side
• Raise the head of your bed 6-8 inches (not just using pillows)

If these ways to prevent acid reflux don’t work, it might be time to talk to a practitioner about how to stop your acid reflux symptoms using medication.

Are There Other Options to Effectively Treat Acid Reflux?

Yes, but the final tip is typically reserved for people with moderate-to-severe acid reflux symptoms, or who have been diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Tip 10: Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)

Proton Pump Inhibitors are another form of acid reflux treatment, but it’s typically reserved for people with frequent and/or severe bouts of acid reflux.

Many people using these medications have been diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), which is the chronic form of acid reflux.

A  practitioner will generally  prescribe these medications in courses of 8 weeks, rather than have you take it indefinitely. The goal being to reduce/remove your acid reflux using the smallest possible dosage, and having you take it for the shortest period of time.

When Should I Talk to a Practitioner About My Acid Reflux Symptoms?

If you’ve already been trying to make lifestyle adjustments, but you’re not finding the relief from your symptoms that you’d hoped for, it could be time to talk to a practitioner at Felix.

Complete a short online assessment, at your convenience, and one of our practitioners will evaluate your situation, based on your health, medical history, and ongoing symptoms. From there, they can help determine a treatment plan that’s uniquely tailored to your needs.

With Felix in your corner, you can take back control of your health and quality of life, so that you can get back to living life on your terms - the way it should be.