Beware! These everyday things can trigger acid reflux

Being overweight or obese: The sphincter muscle at the lower end of your oesophagus relaxes at the wrong time to cause acid reflux, which causes stomach acid to back up into your oesophagus. Being overweight or obese decreases the pressure that holds the sphincter closed, which leads to acid reflux. So, try to keep your weight in check with exercise and eat a healthy diet.

Eating acidic foods: Ever experienced heartburn after eating a certain food? There are certain foods that trigger acid reflux, including fatty foods, spicy food, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolate and mint. Try to limit these foods from your diet if you want to mitigate the risk of acid reflux. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

Drinking carbonated drinks: Carbonated drinks contain components that send acid into your oesophagus, creating a burning sensation. It makes you uncomfortable and can worsen your GERD symptoms. Avoid drinking these drinks if you want to avoid another episode of acid reflux.

Smoking: A study published in the journal Gut found that cigarette smoking can provoke acid reflux, exacerbating the symptoms. So, smoking weakens the sphincter, which is the muscular valve that protects the oesophagus from these acids. Several studies have found that smoking cessation can reduce the symptoms of acid reflux.

Eating a heavy meal close to bedtime: Avoid eating a heavy meal before going to bed as it may worsen existing symptoms of acid reflux. Ideally, you should avoid eating a heavy dinner, but if you do, make sure there is a gap of at least 3 hours between dinner and going to bed. So, no nighttime snack or meal that is difficult to digest close to bedtime. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

Moving too fast: While light walking after dinner can reduce blood sugar, vigorous activity post dinner can trigger heartburn! A strenuous workout, especially one that puts pressure on your oesophagus, can trigger acid reflux. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock