Acid
reflux manifests itself in many symptoms like
persistent heartburn, acid regurgitation, pain in
the chest, hoarseness in the voice, pain during
swallowing, choking, dry cough, and bad breath.
Among all these, acid reflux is the leading
cause of sleep disorders. If a person is
repeatedly aroused during sleep, even for a brief
time, the sleep cycles are interrupted and sleep
is fragmented. Fragmented sleep is less effective
in replenishing energy and one feels tired the
next day.
Doctors
have
long suspected a relationship between acid reflux
and obstructive sleep apnea, two medical
conditions which have a deleterious effect on a
quality of life of the patient. A person who has
sleep apnea temporarily stops breathing many times
during the night.
Nighttime
acid reflux does not have to be severe enough to
fully awaken an individual. Mild reflux may
briefly arouse them and interrupt their sleep
cycles, but may not be severe enough to fully
awaken them from sleep. While each episode may
last only a few seconds, dozens of them occur
during the night. The total sleep time remains
normal, but the quality of sleep is markedly
diminished and as the individual does not fully
awaken, they have total amnesia for these
episodes. During the day, the best defense against
acid reflux is gravity. But when one lies down,
gravity is unable to clear acid from the esophagus
back into the stomach. Another defense is saliva
which has an acid buffering quality and the act of
swallowing pushes the acid back down into the
stomach. When asleep, you produce less saliva and
swallow less often making you more vulnerable to
acid reflux.
Getting
a good night's sleep is essential for feeling
refreshed and alert during the day. Unfortunately,
not everyone is blessed with the restorative sleep
they need. By changing your habits and lifestyle,
you can reduce acid reflux significantly and can
improve quality of sleep:
1)
Do not sleep for three to four hours after a
meal.
2)
Elevate the head of your bed about six to nine
inches by placing wooden blocks under the head of
your bed. But raising the head using pillows is
not a good alternative.
3)
Do not eat large meals as it increases the amount
of acid needed to digest it. Eat smaller meals
throughout the day, especially at night.
4)
Excess weight puts pressure on the abdomen,
pushing up the stomach and causing acid to back up
into the esophagus. Control weight to prevent
heartburn.
5)
Avoid heartburn foods such as fatty or fried
foods, chocolate, garlic, caffeine, nicotine,
onion, citrus, alcohol, and mint-flavored
foods.
6)
Loosen your belt as the clothes that fit tightly
around your waist put pressure on your abdomen and
the lower esophageal
sphincter.
7)
Smoking increases stomach acid. There fore stop
smoking to prevent acid
reflux.
The
only effective, safe and permanent remedy for
acid reflux and sleep disorders is holistic
medicine. It goes beyond symptoms to holistically
heal the body achieve total
health.
