How Does Acid Reflux Disease Develop?
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Don't Lie Down!
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Eating a spicy meal may be great going down, but it may not feel so great to your throat afterwards. If you've ever eaten a spicy meal and felt a burning sensation in your chest that traveled up to your mouth, you may be experiencing acid reflux. There are other causes of acid reflux that have nothing to do with food. Some people are actually born with a condition that forces them to constantly battle acid reflux disease.
When Acid Reflux Happens
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Understanding acid reflux begins understanding your digestive system. As you chew and salivate, you are changing your food to safely travel down your esophagus and pass through a sphincter into your stomach. That sphincter opens and closes when you swallow. The stomach is full of acids that help break down the food even further for proper nutrient absorption.
Acid reflux occurs when stomach acids find their way back up through the sphincter and into your esophagus. It can happen if you eat a large meal quickly and lie down soon afterward. When your stomach is full, the acid produced for the digestion process sits near the top of the sphincter. If you lie down, the pressure on the sphincter may increase and force it open a little, allowing the stomach acid to travel up the esophagus. -
GERD and Acid Reflux Prevention
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For people with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, the sphincter doesn't fully close between meals. It remains at least partially open between swallows. This presents a possibility of food and stomach acids coming up the esophagus every time you eat. Not everyone with GERD experiences acid reflux, but for those who do, the heartburn is persistent.
There are no known causes for GERD, but there are certain lifestyle aspects that can make it harder for your digestive system to properly work. Eating foods that are hard for your stomach to break down will cause stomach acids to remain in the system longer than normal. Fatty meats, spicy meals and caffeine are among those foods. Alcohol and cigarette smoking can constrict your blood vessels and muscle circulation, making it harder for your stomach sphincter to open and close properly. Some additional medical conditions like rapid weight gain and diabetes also contribute to acid reflux.
Although there are no immediate cures, it seems to be that changes in lifestyle can help prevent acid reflux and help manage GERD.
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