The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say more than 60 million American adults lack quality sleep patterns. This means 60,000,000 people have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up refreshed.

The main culprits are alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or eating too much before bedtime . . . which, among other factors triggers nighttime heartburn.

Researchers in Oklahoma City studied 81 people who complained of sleep problems and found that 30% of them suffered from nighttime heartburn and didn’t even know it.

In Brazilian study, researchers studied nearly 100 adults who had sleep issues and found people with sleep problems were almost ‘twice as likely’ to suffer chronic nighttime heartburn (a.k.a. acid reflux, acid indigestion, gastroesophageal reflux disease) compared to others without sleeping pattern issues.

Leading health experts agree that eating smaller meals more often is better than eating 1, 2 or 3 large meals a day. Nighttime heartburn is associated with eating large meals, especially before lying down.

If you have to eat late, make sure you’re up doing something for at least 3 hours before bed. If you eat something like a snack, make sure it’s at least an hour and a half before you crash out on the couch, floor or bed.

Nighttime heartburn can be activated by sitting down and eating as well. The proverbial coach potato who eats and watches TV will most likely qualify as one of the 60 million Americans who have sleep disorders and odds are they have nighttime heart burn.

Here’s what to do if you want nighttime heartburn:

• Eat a big meal shortly before bed
• Drinking anything but water right before bed
• Don’t raise your head while sleeping
• Eat acid forming foods
• Get a milk or beer belly
• Smoke tobacco
• Consume less than 90% vegetables and fruits
• Mix your carbs and protein together
• Take antacids that cause acid rebound

Living without nighttime heartburn is a natural step you can take that also carries many other benefits such as living longer, being slimmer and having more vitality and overall health.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

If you are someone who hasn’t ever had heartburn, or are experiencing heartburn for the first time, you may be asking, where does heartburn hurt? Generally, heartburn sufferers feel pain in the upper chest area, which can radiate upwards toward the neck.

Heartburn happens when stomach acids are allowed to escape the stomach, and enter the esophagus, which causes pain, and a burning sensation. The lower esophageal sphincter is a sort of one way valve meant to let food into the stomach, and keep it there, along with all the acids and enzymes meant to aid in the digestion process. If this muscle relaxes too much, or is damaged in some way, those acids can make their way up into areas they were never meant to be in, resulting in heartburn.

Heartburn pain can vary from mild to severe, and can be accompanied by burping, reflux, which just means the acids made their way all the way up to the mouth, hiccups and general indigestion.

Heartburn has a wide range of causes, and targeting some of them can keep heartburn at bay for most people. First of all, a simple lifestyle change can help eliminate heartburn pain quickly. Eating large meals can cause heartburn by putting too much pressure on your stomach, which causes it to overproduce acid. So, rather than eating two big meals every day, try four or five smaller meals to help your body digest a little easier. Additionally, don’t eat too close to bed time. Laying down allows acids to easily migrate out of the stomach, so stay upright after eating for as long as possible to let gravity help your body keep digestive fluids where they belong. Also, try changing your fashion habits. Wearing clothes that are tight fitting can constrict your stomach, putting pressure on sensitive areas, which leads to heartburn.

Another habit that can lead to heartburn pain is smoking. The nicotine in tobacco is shown to cause the body to overproduce stomach acids. If you have too much acid in your stomach, it can easily escape into areas that will cause pain. Smoking also inhibits your body’s ability to heal, so any damage done by excess stomach acids won’t heal as quickly.

Stress can also lead to heartburn pain in the chest and neck areas. Similar to nicotine, stress causes an overproduction of stomach acids. To combat this, calm down. Try some deep breathing, take a meditation course, count to ten, put on some relaxing music, add some light exercise to your daily routine, whatever it takes to de-stress your life. If you feel yourself getting stressed out, something as simple as taking a deep breath can save you from pain later.

Food is another common cause of heartburn pain. Everyone has different triggers, but in general spicy foods, onion, garlic, caffeine, alcohol and citrus fruits are a few common ones. Try tracking what causes your pain and avoiding those foods if necessary.

Heartburn pain is an uncomfortable problem for millions of people. To find out more about where heartburn hurts and the causes of heartburn pain, visit www.refluxremedy.com today.