Sleeping with your left side down reduces reflux episodes. View Source and exposure of the esophagus to stomach acid. Sleeping in other positions, including on your back, can make reflux more likely.
Digestion benefits and left-side sleeping
However, the location of the stomach is a clue. The stomach's natural position is on the left side, where it can digest food more effectively. Gravity helps the waste travel from the small intestine to the large intestine.
Doctors recommend that you: Do elevate the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches to assist gravity in keeping your stomach acid from refluxing. Don't sleep on your back, particularly if you are obese, because the pressure on your stomach could help drive acid into your esophagus.
Your body position influences how well your digestive system. View Source functions, and gas does not clear your system as quickly when you lie on your back. People who are experiencing heartburn, constipation, bloating, or other gastrointestinal issues may feel relief if they sleep on their side.
The best overall position to aid digestion is on your left side. This position uses gravity to help waste make its way through the digestive tract. Left side sleeping can also reduce heartburn because this keeps stomach acid lower in the esophagus. The next best position is on your back with your head elevated.
Position #2 to avoid at night is sleeping on your right side. When lying on your right side, your stomach is actually above your esophagus, creating a leaky faucet spouting stomach acid into the delicate lining of your esophagus.
Acid blockers — also called histamine (H-2) blockers — reduce the amount of acid released into your digestive tract, which relieves gastritis pain and encourages healing. Available by prescription or over the counter, acid blockers include famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet HB) and nizatidine (Axid AR).
See your health care provider if you have signs and symptoms of gastritis for a week or longer. Seek medical attention immediately if you have severe pain, if you have vomiting where you cannot hold any food down, or if you feel light-headed or dizzy.
Symptoms of Gastritis
Home remedies such as ginger tea, chamomile tea, and peppermint oil can soothe the stomach and reduce inflammation. Probiotics can promote gut health, while turmeric and fennel seeds have natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Acute gastritis usually lasts for a short period of time. In most cases, it resolves spontaneously within a few days or weeks once the inflammation has settled. In other cases, however, acute gastritis can lead to recurrent or long-term inflammation of the gastric mucosa, otherwise known as chronic gastritis.
Lie flat on your back, legs extended, arms at your sides. Bend your right knee and bring it up toward your chest. Hug your knee with both hands while pressing your back, shoulders, and neck into the mat. As you exhale, bring your forehead up toward your knee.
Bananas for stomach acid are considered safe because they have alkaline (alkaline) properties. In addition, this fruit is also considered to help balance the acid in the stomach so that symptoms of acid reflux or GERD can be prevented.
Lingering gastritis
If you experience persistent symptoms of gastritis that don't go away despite the absence of NSAIDs, alcohol, stress, and radiation, then you most likely have a serious infection in your stomach or a severely damaged gastric mucosa.
Gastritis Treatment Medications
These contain containing aluminum and magnesium and can help relieve neutralize gastric acid. These are inexpensive and relatively safe. Examples include: Alka-Seltzer, Milk of Magnesia, Gaviscon, Pepto-Bismol and Tums.
Increase Flavonoids. Foods containing plant compounds known as flavonoids like apples, celery, cranberries, onions, garlic, and tea may stop the growth of H. pylori, have antiviral and anti-histamine activity, and reduce inflammation to help heal gastritis.
Drinking large amounts of water controls the acid levels of gastric juices, which helps accelerate the healing of gastritis. You should avoid drinking too much water immediately before and after meals, as it can be counterproductive.
If it's not treated, gastritis may get worse and cause a stomach ulcer. If gastritis is not getting better, or it's causing severe symptoms, a GP might refer you to a specialist stomach doctor (gastroenterologist). They might do a test to look inside your stomach, called a gastroscopy.
Nighttime is when your stomach is empty for the longest time in a day. Stomach ulcers cause throbbing pain, especially during sleep. Several other conditions such as diverticulitis, kidney stones, food intolerances, allergies, constipation, Crohn's disease, gut and throat conditions can also cause stomach pain.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Conditions that inflame the food pipe cause heartburn, nausea, and indigestion. Symptoms often intensify when lying down.
First, the concentration of acid in the stomach is higher at night. Second, in the lying position, it is easier for acid to reflux and to remain in the esophagus., Gravity does not take the acid back down into the stomach.