Lifestyle Changes for Managing GERD

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can be extremely painful. There are medications that can help reduce GERD symptoms, but you should also incorporate lifestyle changes to help manage GERD. Here are some of the best ones:

• Reduce or eliminate caffeine and alcohol consumption. These are both known to aggravate both heartburn and GERD.
• Avoid your trigger foods. If you have identified foods that make your GERD worse, eliminating these foods from your diet will help relieve your symptoms.
• Wear clothing that is loose and comfortable. Tight clothing can constrict your abdomen and force digestive juices into your esophagus.
• Eat no fewer than three hours before sleeping. If you lie down too soon after eating, you risk letting acid leak into your esophagus. Make sure you are standing or seated for a three hour period after you eat.
• Lose weight. Excess weight makes GERD symptoms worse because of the pressure that it puts on your abdomen. Many doctors say that this is the single best way to reduce GERD symptoms.
• Reduce stress. While stress does not seem to make GERD worse, it makes any problem with your health feel more severe. Yoga, meditation and creative visualization are all good ways to cut down stress levels.
• Quit smoking. Smoke is another known irritant that can make GERD worse by increasing acid reflux and reducing your body’s production of saliva.
• Find out if you are taking medications that can aggravate GERD. Birth control pills, certain asthma medications and blood pressure medications can aggravate GERD. Talk to your doctor about switching medications if you currently take one that can make GERD worse.