Why does heartburn occur when lying down?

Rest after eating

Which side is better to lie on after eating? In order to facilitate the digestion process, it is better to sleep on the left side. This is due to the fact that in this position the stomach and pancreas are not compressed by other organs. Therefore, food is digested faster, and enzymes are produced better by the pancreas.

Also, food masses pass through the intestines faster if you lie on your left side, especially after a heavy dinner. The digestive process will speed up (when compared with another horizontal position of the body), and by the morning the person will feel the urge to defecate.

It is important that if a person lies on his left side, the lymphatic system is strengthened, which also contributes to the normal functioning of the body as a whole. It has been proven that there are more lymphatic vessels on the left side. Consequently, waste products that are processed by the lymphatic system are eliminated from the body faster and more efficiently.

Additional Information! Sleeping on the left side is also recommended for diabetes. But to relieve excess stress on the kidneys, it is recommended to bend your knees.

The liver functions better if a person sleeps on the left side. This is due to the fact that many different processes take place in it during sleep, and in this position blood circulation increases. Thanks to this, congestion in the liver is prevented.

Which side do doctors recommend sleeping on if you have heartburn and why?

Almost every person has experienced heartburn and has an idea about this unpleasant phenomenon.
The cause of the burning sensation is the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus tube. The esophageal valve does not perform its function, which causes irritation of the mucous membrane of the organ. Hydrochloric acid, lysolecithin or pepsin have a negative effect.

A person says that he has heartburn when he feels a burning sensation in the throat or area behind the sternum.

Signs

Manifestations of heartburn in some cases are accompanied by hiccups, a sour taste in the mouth, and possibly unpleasant belching, heaviness and bitterness.

The occurrence of a burning sensation directly affects performance. The person experiences discomfort and cannot concentrate on performing his duties.

The disease occurs with prolonged physical activity and in those who like to sleep on their side.

Causes

The medical community distinguishes three forms of burning: moderate, moderate and severe. A moderate degree of burning occurs once a month. A moderate burning sensation is detected up to four times a month. Severe heartburn is characterized by daily occurrence.

Moderate and moderate heartburn appears if:

• have dinner before going to bed;
• there are constant stress factors;
• excess weight is noted;
• food consumption norms are greatly exceeded;
• a lot of air got in during the process of consuming the product;
• a person leans on alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and sweets;
• the diet contains large quantities of fried, salty, sour, spicy foods;
• the products consumed are incompatible.

To prevent heartburn from taking you by surprise at night, the last meal is taken no later than three hours before you are supposed to go to bed. Before going to bed, it is not recommended to eat fruits and vegetables that contain acid.

If a person sleeps on his back, the contents of the stomach easily enter the esophagus. Substances that are designed to process food are located in another organ and cause irritation.

To avoid manifestations, you need to raise your head and lie on your left side.

Often people do not think about the fact that correct body position when resting or sleeping can prevent or alleviate a burning sensation. Incorrect position of the body helps to relax the intestinal sphincter.

Physiologically, the stomach is located on the left. When lying down, the movement of lymph throughout the body becomes more difficult. Food does not undergo the correct breakdown process and accumulates.

As a result, gas formation increases and enzymes do not fully perform their function. From which it follows that the correct body position for heartburn is to remain on the left side.

In this position of the body, all consumed food passes more easily through the esophagus.

The residence time in each section of the digestive system does not increase, which means that fermentation and rotting are not caused. Blood circulates faster in this position, which affects the rate of breakdown of products. There is no stagnation in the stomach or intestines. The movement of lymph accelerates when you sleep on your left side.

It is almost impossible to control movements during your stay in the kingdom of Morpheus. This is due to the fact that a person gets enough sleep while taking his usual posture. However, you should develop the habit of going to sleep on your left side.

Correct body position when resting or sleeping is of great importance for pregnant women. This reduces the risk of heartburn and can reduce the load on the spine and back. The position on the left side helps to increase the rate of circulation of fluids in the body.

Nutrients are delivered to the uterus faster, and the kidneys work more actively.

Heartburn often occurs as a side effect after surgery. If a person is in the hospital, then getting into a comfortable sleeping position is problematic. To minimize the manifestations of this symptom, it is necessary to follow a diet.

Prevention and treatment

To avoid heartburn in children, it is necessary to limit the child's dinner before bed. Excessive amounts of food negatively affect the entire gastrointestinal tract of the baby. Children may experience a burning sensation during sleep, just like adults.

Increased acidity of gastric juice causes heartburn during sleep. It is necessary to regulate the consumption of foods to avoid unpleasant symptoms. Fruits, vegetables and other foods that can affect the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the body should be excluded from the diet.

There is a popular belief that after eating it is necessary to take a horizontal position for better absorption of microelements. This is wrong. It is advisable not to engage in physical activity and limit yourself to quiet activities. If a person is lying down, then the pillow should be set high.

If heartburn attacks recur daily, you should consult your doctor and determine the causes of the disease. The specialist will prescribe tests and necessary examinations.

If you have heartburn, you need to take medications systematically to achieve the intended effect. It is not recommended to suppress symptoms on your own.

Treatment must be prescribed by a doctor, and you cannot change the dosage of the drug on your own or on the advice of friends. By eliminating the symptoms, a person does not eliminate the root cause.

The information on our website is provided by qualified doctors and is for informational purposes only. Don't self-medicate! Be sure to consult a specialist!

Rumyantsev V. G. Experience 34 years.

Gastroenterologist, professor, doctor of medical sciences. Prescribes diagnostics and carries out treatment. Expert of the group for the study of inflammatory diseases. Author of more than 300 scientific papers.

To the doctor We recommend: What to do with heartburn in a child - how to treat it?

Source: https://gastrot.ru/izzhoga/na-kakom-boku-spat

Heartburn

Many people suffer from heartburn, but not everyone knows that you can prevent its occurrence by developing the habit of lying and sleeping on your left side. This is explained by the fact that the stomach is on the left side. And due to its specific curved shape, in this position the stomach contents do not reflux into the esophagus.

Interesting! What to do for heartburn and belching: causes and methods of treatment

People with frequent heartburn are not recommended to lie down on a flat horizontal surface. It is better to have a pillow under your head, then the upper body will be raised. Therefore, if you have heartburn and pain in the right hypochondrium, you need to pay special attention to your body position while resting.

Why is your sleeping position so important?

Recently, experts have begun to say that it is very important not only to get enough time to rest at night. You also need to do it right

Many will be surprised: what does this mean? So, doctors answer that a lot depends on just one position of night sleep, namely:

• The digestive system works first.
• State of immunity.
• The appearance of the skin, especially the face.

It should be noted that, in fact, there are a lot of sleeping positions: on the back, on the stomach, but on one and the other side. People even manage to sleep in a ball, curled up in a very small ball.

Body position is usually the key to comfort. We change positions throughout the night and usually wake up in a different position than in which we fell asleep. If you are advised to sleep on your left side for medical reasons, use an extra pillow or tennis ball attached to your back to discourage unconscious turning.

If you have questions about whether your posture is affecting your health, consult a sleep specialist.

One of the consequences of a total gastrectomy (complete removal of the stomach) is the reflux of bile into the esophagus. How to get rid of heartburn after gastric resection? How to eat properly so as not to suffer from heartburn?

With radical gastrectomy, a total gastrectomy is performed with an anastomosis of the jejunal loop with the esophagus; at the base of the loop, between the adductor and efferent colon, a Brown anastomosis should be performed (connection of the lumens of the adductor and efferent intestines. This anastomosis is performed in order to avoid adductor syndrome, which is precisely manifested by the reflux of bile into the esophagus. The anastomosis is designed to ensure that the contents of the duodenum, where bile is poured, immediately enters the efferent colon, bypassing the adductor.

While you are choosing all possible gentle food options for the esophagus, coating agents for the esophageal mucosa (flax seed decoction, starchy decoctions) are not suitable for high acidity in this situation. Unfortunately, oncological operations are mutilating operations in the name of life. You often have to put up with their consequences rather than somehow influence them.

Removed: stomach completely, spleen, gallbladder, omentum. Diagnosis after histology: infiltration of the entire stomach wall. Diagnosis: poorly differentiated and adenocarcinoma with heel-like cells (signet ring cells - or how in Russian?) MTS was not detected. Stage three. (I don’t remember exactly how something like T3N1M1 is written there).

The doctor said that he connected the esophagus to the intestines.

Many people know the unpleasant burning sensation that appears in the esophagus and resembles heat rising from the abdomen and radiating to the neck and throat, and sometimes even to the back and arms. This is what is called heartburn. According to statistics, 30-60% of people suffer from heartburn, and both women and men are equally susceptible to it.

Both ordinary overeating and a serious gastrointestinal disease can lead to heartburn. Treatment will depend on its causes, but in any case you should follow the recommendations of a specialist.

Right side

Which side is better to sleep on for better health? This is an individual question. Sometimes people are still advised to rest after eating and sleep on their right side. Namely, this applies to people with gallstone disease. This measure will help reduce the manifestations of characteristic symptoms and significantly alleviate the patient’s condition.

The disadvantages of this situation are the inhibition of the digestive process. This way food masses can be thrown into the esophagus. The lymphatic system also slows down. Because of this, toxins are not eliminated from the body on time.

Prevention

Using only medications, you will not be able to get rid of heartburn for a long time. It is necessary to follow the rules for preventing the development of unpleasant symptoms:

• spend more time in the fresh air;
• take walks before bed;
• do not overeat, especially at night;
• stick to a diet;
• give up addictions;
• exercise;
• avoid excessive physical activity before bed and after meals;
• wear comfortable clothes.

Recommendation! Every day you need to drink 1.5-2 liters of liquid. If you have high acidity, it is better to give preference to mineral table water from Essentuki or Borjomi. You should not drink coffee and strong tea, especially before going to bed.

Recommendations

It often happens that you want to lie down after eating. Doctors still recommend overcoming this desire and staying awake for 1 hour. This will allow the body to digest food faster.

Sleeping immediately after eating is not beneficial, since the body cannot fully rest. The digestion process will be in the active phase, and due to the supine position it will also be slowed down. In addition, if a person falls asleep with a full stomach, then the sleep will be restless with nightmares.

Note! It is generally not recommended to overeat at night. Eating should not occur later than 3 hours before bedtime. If you constantly break this rule, then diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are guaranteed. For example, reflux, obesity, etc.

Causes and symptoms of night heartburn

Heartburn at night is the result of the presence of food in the stomach that has not had time to digest and increased production of hydrochloric acid. At night, the glands produce little saliva, which is why gastric juice is not neutralized.

Heartburn in the throat at night can be felt not only due to diseases, but also related factors:

• regular overeating before bed, when a person takes his last meal 1-2 hours before going to bed - the food does not have time to be digested and is thrown into the esophagus when in a horizontal position;
• addictions - if you smoke a lot or drink alcohol before going to bed, you experience stomach pain and burning at night, accompanied by a hangover;
• taking medications from the groups of anti-inflammatory non-steroids, antibiotics, antihistamines, beta blockers, calcium supplements, etc.;
• Improper organization of physical activity - carrying heavy objects, bending over, excessive physical activity after eating in the evening provokes a burning sensation in the chest.

What is a symptom of nighttime heartburn? Pathologies that provoke discomfort in the stomach and esophagus include gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastroesophageal reflux, duodenitis, cholecystitis. In cases where heartburn is caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is supplemented by flatulence, empty sour belching, nausea, girdle pain in the abdominal area, vomiting and stool disorders.

To avoid nighttime heartburn, avoid snacking before bed

Causes during pregnancy

Heartburn often occurs at night during sleep in pregnant women. A similar symptom develops due to hormonal changes occurring in the body in the first trimester. In addition to burning in the esophagus, the symptoms of toxicosis are supplemented by the following:

• decreased immunity;
• nausea, dizziness;
• headaches, weakness, vomiting;
• dysfunction of the digestive tract;
• increased gastric acidity.

Upon reaching 12-14 weeks of gestation, heartburn at night disappears as the body adapts to hormonal changes. However, just before childbirth, unpleasant symptoms reappear. At 30-38 weeks of pregnancy, the growing uterus actively puts pressure on the stomach, causing reflux of its contents into the esophagus, severe heartburn at night, bloating and pain.