How to Avoid Heartburn When Drinking – Heartburn doesn’t have to make an appearance every time you have a drink at an outing. Use these tips to help reduce the chances of getting heartburn after drinking: 1,2,6
- Stay hydrated. Drinking water can help with digestion and prevent dehydration.
- Drink in moderation. Drinking too much can make acid reflux worse. Keep the drinks to a minimum to avoid the risk of acid reflux.
- Be mindful of how you eat and when you eat. Try not to overeat or eat too quickly after drinking and avoid foods that cause heartburn, It may also be helpful to not eat before going to sleep, as this can help prevent getting heartburn at night,
- Ditch the cigarettes. Smoking can also make your heartburn worse. Avoid taking smoke breaks at the bar to reduce your risk of heartburn.
- Avoid wearing tight clothing. If your belt or clothes are too tight, they may also cause heartburn. Try to avoid wearing tight clothing to your next happy hour or outing with alcohol.
- Take antacids. Antacids can be taken while drinking alcohol. Look for over-the-counter products like TUMS Chewy Bites to quickly relieve heartburn symptoms and acid indigestion. Use as directed.
Don’t let heartburn take over your night. Find helpful tips for reducing heartburn and more on the TUMS website, Source Citations:
- Heartburn. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9617-heartburn-overview Accessed 9/14/2022.
- 6 Ways Alcohol Can Damage Your Gut. UNC Health. https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/6-ways-alcohol-can-damage-your-gut/ Accessed 9/14/2022.
- Alcohol Consumption and Obesity: An Update. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338356/ Accessed 9/14/2022.
- Stress. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress Accessed 9/14/2022.
- Alcohol and gastric acid secretion in humans. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1374273/ Accessed 9/14/2022.
- Antacids. NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/antacids/ Accessed 9/14/2022.
Contents
Is it normal to get heartburn after drinking alcohol?
In April 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that all forms of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine (Zantac) be removed from the U.S. market. They made this recommendation because unacceptable levels of NDMA, a probable carcinogen (or cancer-causing chemical), were present in some ranitidine products.
- People taking prescription ranitidine should talk with their doctor about safe alternative options before stopping the drug.
- People taking OTC ranitidine should stop taking the drug and talk with their healthcare provider about alternative options.
- Instead of taking unused ranitidine products to a drug take-back site, a person should dispose of them according to the product’s instructions or by following the FDA’s guidance,
Heartburn is a painful, burning sensation in the chest and upper throat. Alcohol can trigger or worsen heartburn in some people. Heartburn happens when stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, or food pipe, causing discomfort or pain. Certain foods and drinks can trigger heartburn, and alcohol is a common cause.
- This article looks at the link between alcohol and heartburn, including how alcohol triggers symptoms and how to avoid them.
- Many factors can cause or trigger heartburn.
- Understanding the causes of heartburn can help people understand how alcohol can be a trigger.
- After swallowing, food and drink travel down the esophagus and into the stomach where acid breaks them down.
While the stomach can resist the acid, the esophagus and other body tissues cannot. When acid moves back into the esophagus, people experience discomfort and pain. Causes of heartburn include:
Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) dysfunction, If the LES that connects the esophagus to the stomach becomes weaker or relaxes, acid can leak into the esophagus. Irritation. Foods, drinks, or medicines can directly irritate the esophagus, causing heartburn and irritating the sensitive tissues of the esophagus. Slow stomach emptying. Some people have a disorder that prevents the stomach from emptying properly. Food stays in the stomach for longer, increasing the risk of heartburn. Hiatal hernia, This condition occurs when a hernia develops at the entrance to the stomach. This may be due to injury, overweight, or a weakening of the diaphragm.
If a person experiences frequent heartburn, they may have gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ). Many people experience heartburn after drinking alcohol. Alcohol can, in some cases, increase the likelihood of heartburn and GERD. A 2019 review found that people who drank more alcohol or drank alcohol more regularly had a greater likelihood of GERD.
Irritating the throat or stomach. Because of the chemicals it contains, alcohol can directly irritate the tissues in the esophagus. Relaxing the muscle leading to the stomach. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, alcohol relaxes the muscles around the stomach, which makes it more likely for the contents of the stomach to leak out. Affecting stomach acid. Alcohol can make the stomach produce more acid. It can also make the tissues more sensitive to acid, which can lead to heartburn. Affecting food choices. Alcohol can affect judgment. After drinking alcohol, people are more likely to eat foods that disagree with them, eat late at night, or eat more than usual. These factors can cause heartburn. Drinking sugary or carbonated drinks. Alcoholic beverages that are sugary, citrus, or carbonated can lead to heartburn. Smoking. Some people smoke or smoke more while they are drinking alcohol. Smoking is a major risk factor for heartburn.
Some people can avoid heartburn by drinking alcohol in moderation, which means one or two drinks only. For others, heartburn can arise even with a small serving of alcohol. Some drinks can cause heartburn more than others. This may differ between individuals.
Working out which types of drinks trigger a person’s heartburn, and avoiding these drinks, can prevent heartburn. Drinking alcohol may lead to unhealthful eating habits or eating foods that cause digestive upset. Being mindful of these food triggers and avoiding them, even while drinking, can prevent heartburn.
It may also help to avoid drinking alcohol a few hours before bed. Lying down with alcohol in the stomach may make it more likely that this alcohol relaxes the LES, leading to heartburn symptoms. If an underlying condition such as GERD causes heartburn, the person may benefit from seeing a doctor for treatment.
antacids, including Maalox and MylantaH2 blockers, including cimetidineproton pump inhibitors (PPIs), including omeprazole and esomeprazoleprokinetics, including bethanechol and metoclopramide antibiotics, including erythromycin
Avoiding other common trigger foods and drinks may also help prevent heartburn. These include :
coffee, both caffeinated and decaf citrus fruits and juices, such as orange juice and grapefruit juicefizzy drinks, which cause bloating and pressure on the stomach muscleschocolate, which contains a chemical that relaxes the opening to the stomachpeppermint, garlic, and onions, which also relax the opening to the stomach fatty, spicy, or fried foods that relax the opening to the stomach and delay stomach emptying
Read more about how to treat heartburn. Heartburn triggers differ between individuals. Alcohol is one of the common triggers. Drinking in moderation can prevent heartburn for many people. Working out which specific drinks trigger heartburn, which may be sugary alcoholic drinks for some people and beer for others, and avoiding them will also help reduce heartburn.
Does drinking milk help heartburn?
Dairy: A Common Trigger Food – One reason that milk can actually make heartburn symptoms worse is the dairy factor. Dairy—particularly full-fat dairy—is one of the common trigger foods that can induce acid reflux.1,4 In fact, many people try cutting dairy out of their diets altogether to help manage heartburn symptoms.
Is milk or water better for heartburn?
Milk – Does milk help with heartburn? “Milk is often thought to relieve heartburn,” says Gupta. “But you have to keep in mind that milk comes in different varieties — whole milk with the full amount of fat, 2% fat, and skim or nonfat milk. The fat in milk can aggravate acid reflux.
What can I take for immediate heartburn relief?
OTC Heartburn Medication – There are three main types of heartburn medications that you can get without a prescription 2 :
Antacids provide fast heartburn relief. They start to work in seconds* to neutralize stomach acid, making your stomach contents less acidic and reducing the chances that acidic liquid will leak into your esophagus (the muscular tube that connects your mouth and stomach). Antacids contain ingredients like calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium trisilicate, aluminum hydroxide, and alginate. Depending on the type of antacid, you may take these medications as a chewable tablet or drink them as a liquid 3, H2 blockers start to work in minutes** and prevent cells in the stomach from producing high levels of stomach acid. H2 blockers go by the generic names famotidine, cimetidine, and nizatidine. They may come in tablet, capsule, or liquid form 4, Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) halt almost all production of stomach acid. However, they are not intended for immediate relief – it can take up to 1-4 days for these medications to start producing their full effects. Over-the-counter PPIs include omeprazole, lansoprazole, and esomeprazole. These capsules or tablets are taken by mouth 30 minutes before breakfast 5,
* Starts to neutralize acid on contact ** Starts to relieve heartburn in 15-30 minutes
Should I fast to get rid of heartburn?
The Impact of Intermittent Fasting on Patients With Suspected Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease – PubMed Goal: The aim was to investigate the short-term impact of time restricted feeding on patients with suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Background: Lifestyle modifications are often suggested, but the role of diet in GERD is unclear. Intermittent fasting is popular in the media and has demonstrated potential benefits with weight loss and inflammatory conditions as well as alterations in gastrointestinal hormones. Study: Patients who were referred for 96-hour ambulatory wireless pH monitoring off proton pump inhibitor to investigate GERD symptoms were screened for eligibility.
Patients were instructed to maintain their baseline diet for the first 2 days of pH monitoring and switch to an intermittent fasting regimen (16 consecutive hour fast and 8 h eating window) for the second 2 days. Objective measures of reflux and GERD symptom severity were collected and analyzed.
- Results: A total of 25 participants were analyzed.9/25 (36%) fully adhered to the intermittent fasting regimen, with 21/25 (84%) demonstrating at least partial compliance.
- Mean acid exposure time on fasting days was 3.5% versus 4.3% on nonfasting days.
- Intermittent fasting was associated with a 0.64 reduction in acid exposure time (95% CI: -2.32, 1.05).
There was a reduction in GERD symptom scores of heartburn and regurgitation during periods of intermittent fasting (14.3 vs.9.9; difference of -4.46, 95% CI: -7.6,-1.32). Conclusions: Initial adherence to time restricted eating may be difficult for patients.
Why isn’t my heartburn going away?
Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest. Heartburn for multiple days in a row can result from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a hiatal hernia, Barrett’s esophagus, or esophageal cancer. Heartburn refers to the burning sensation in the chest that happens as a result of stomach acid.
- This is called acid reflux.
- Occasional acid reflux is normal,
- However, if a person experiences persistent or frequent heartburn, it may be due to other medical conditions.
- This article examines the causes of persistent heartburn and when to contact a doctor.
- Heartburn occurs as a result of acid reflux,
Between the lower esophagus and stomach is a tight ring of muscle called a sphincter. It stays closed until the combination of saliva chewed food reaches it. At this point, it relaxes to allow food to pass to the stomach. Once food has passed through, it closes and prevents food and stomach acid from traveling back up the food pipe.
After a large meal, the stomach may stretch. This loosens the esophageal sphincter. In some people, the sphincter also opens without identifiable reason. Stomach contents can travel up the esophagus, causing pain and irritation. GERD occurs when acid reflux happens regularly. If a person experiences heartburn more than twice per week, it may be a sign of GERD.
About 20% of people in the United States have GERD. Not everyone with GERD will experience heartburn. Other symptoms might include:
chest pain nausea issues or pain while swallowing chronic cough hoarseness tasting food or stomach acid after eating
Can heartburn make you throw up?
What are the typical symptoms of heartburn? – Common symptoms of heartburn include a burning sensation in the chest or throat, a sour taste in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, feeling like food is stuck in the throat, regurgitation of stomach contents into the mouth, nausea or vomiting, sore throat or hoarseness, and coughing or wheezing.
What does heartburn feel like?
Heartburn is a burning pain in your chest, just behind your breastbone. The pain is often worse after eating, in the evening, or when lying down or bending over. Occasional heartburn is common and no cause for alarm. Most people can manage the discomfort of heartburn on their own with lifestyle changes and nonprescription medications.
A burning pain in the chest that usually occurs after eating and may occur at night Pain that worsens when lying down or bending over A bitter or acidic taste in the mouth
Chest pain may be a symptom of a heart attack. Seek help right away if you have severe chest pain or pressure, especially when combined with pain in the arm or jaw or difficulty breathing. Make an appointment with your health care provider if:
Heartburn occurs more than twice a week Symptoms persist despite use of nonprescription medications You have difficulty swallowing You have persistent nausea or vomiting You have weight loss because of poor appetite or difficulty eating
What foods neutralize stomach acid?
What foods neutralize stomach acid? – No food will neutralize stomach acid, but oatmeal can help absorb it so that it doesn’t return to the esophagus. Other foods, such as bananas, may be less likely to trigger stomach acid than others, for instance, tomatoes and citrus fruits.
Is Yogurt good for acid reflux?
Is yogurt a good choice? – Yogurt that is not too sour is also excellent for acid reflux, because of the probiotics that help normalize bowel function. Yogurt also provides protein, and soothes stomach discomfort, often providing a cooling sensation. It is easy to choose foods by looking them up to see how acidic they are.
Is it safe to go to sleep with heartburn?
For the past seven years, Dave White of Easthampton, Mass., has slept with his head and chest uncomfortably propped up on a pile of pillows. “It’s the most difficult part of living with this condition,” White says. “There are times when I’ve almost wept from the frustration of having to sleep,” But if he doesn’t, he risks a flare-up that sometimes “feels like a lit match being pressed to the top of my stomach,” That condition is chronic heartburn, also known as GERD – gastroesophageal reflux disease.
For most people, heartburn is an occasional nuisance. It descends after an all-you-can-eat buffet or an office party. But if you have heartburn regularly, it’s likely a sign of GERD, a relentless condition in which stomach acids back up into the esophagus, According to the American Gastroenterological Association, 25 million people have heartburn every day.
For many of them – at least 50% according to some research – nighttime heartburn is a special problem. Since lying flat can aggravate the symptoms, trying to sleep can be painful and difficult. There can also be more serious long-term consequences. Studies show that nighttime heartburn increases the risk of developing other serious conditions, including cancer of the esophagus.
The good news is that there’s a lot you can do to relieve the pain and discomfort. “If you are experiencing nighttime heartburn, you should know that there are good treatments,” says Stuart Spechler, MD, spokesman for the American Gastroenterological Association and chief of the division of gastroenterology at the Dallas VA Medical Center.
“There’s no reason anyone should be suffering with this.” Day or night, chronic reflux can gradually damage the esophagus. It may lead to inflammation and scar tissue that narrows the esophagus. In some people, chronic heartburn can lead to Barrett’s esophagus, changes in the cells that increase the risk of esophageal cancer,
- But nighttime heartburn tends to leave acid in the esophagus longer, and therefore may cause more damage than daytime heartburn.
- A good part of the explanation is gravity,” says Lawrence J.
- Cheskin, MD, co-author of Healing Heartburn and associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md.
During the day, acids from the stomach may briefly force their way into your esophagus. But gravity quickly pulls them back down to the stomach. When you’re lying down, gravity isn’t pulling in the right direction. Instead, the stomach contents are pressing on the sphincter muscle that connects the esophagus to the stomach.
- In people with GERD – which means nearly everyone with chronic heartburn – the sphincter is faulty.
- It doesn’t fully close.
- So acids can reflux back up into the esophagus.
- And because you’re lying down, once acids get into the esophagus, they can sit there for much longer than during the day.
- That can increase the damage.
Gravity isn’t the only factor. When you’re awake, you naturally swallow whenever acid begins to reflux. This pushes the acid back down into the stomach. Saliva also contains bicarbonate, which can neutralize stomach acid. But when you’re asleep, the swallowing impulse is suppressed, Spechler says.
The effects of nighttime heartburn aren’t confined to esophagus. It can also result in chronic insomnia, Nighttime heartburn can wake you up and keep you up. “The symptoms definitely aggravate insomnia,” says Dave White, who has suffered from nighttime heartburn for years. “I’ll wake up with cutting heartburn pain and then have to wait for the effects of to kick in, which can take an hour or so.
When that happens, I’ll just get out of bed, since I know I’ll be up anyway.” One study showed just how common nighttime heartburn can be. Researchers questioned nearly 15,300 average people and found that a whopping 25% reported having nighttime heartburn.
The results were published in the journal CHEST, Another survey of 1,900 people with GERD in the U.S. and Europe found that about half had trouble sleeping at night. In these people, GERD symptoms caused a 22% impairment of leisure activities and a 15% impairment of their ability to work. The findings were presented during the 2005 Digestive Disease Week, an international conference for gastroenterologists.
So the pain – and consequences – of nighttime heartburn go well beyond that burning in your chest. Fortunately, there are a lot of different treatments for nighttime heartburn. They can reduce your symptoms and your discomfort. They also lower the risk of developing serious complications.
Avoiding foods that can lead to heartburn, such as alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, coffee, carbonated drinks, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, pepper, vinegar, catsup and mustard, and spicy or fatty foodsNot eating anything for two to three hours before bedtime Chewing gum in the evening to boost salivaPutting blocks under the top of the mattress to elevate the head 4 to 6 inches
If changes to your lifestyle don’t ease your nighttime heartburn, over-the-counter medications may do the trick, Cheskin says. The tried and true treatments – the ones your mom always gave you – are antacids, which neutralize the acid in the stomach. These include liquids like Maalox or Mylanta, and solid tablets like Rolaids or Tums.
“They can be very effective,” Cheskin says, “but the problem is that you have to take them more frequently, since they only last a couple of hours.” But Spechler is skeptical. In cases of GERD that are bad enough to require them, he thinks that medicine is usually more effective and easier to live with.
“Frankly,” Spechler says, “unless the condition is especially severe, or there’s some very compelling reason why a person shouldn’t take medicine, I don’t see any reason to torture patients with very tight dietary restrictions or elevating the head of the bed.” Another class of over-the-counter medicines is H2 receptor antagonists, which reduce the production of acid by the stomach.
- Some examples are Pepcid AC, Tagamet HB, Zantac 75, and Axid AR.
- Studies show that over-the-counter medications can help with symptoms in 60% to 70% of people with chronic heartburn or GERD.
- The newest – and most effective – class of heartburn drugs are the proton pump inhibitors.
- These work by blocking the effects of an enzyme that produces acid in the stomach.
So far, only Prilosec OTC is available over-the-counter. Other proton pump inhibitors, such as Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, and Protonix, are available with a prescription from your doctor. A lot of people find that one prescription medication on its own may not be enough.
- For severe GERD, Spechler says that you may need not only one to two daily doses of a proton pump inhibitor, but also a bedtime dose of an H2 receptor antagonist.
- You may need over-the-counter antacids, too.
- In some cases, your doctor may recommend surgery to correct the problem that’s causing your symptoms.
But surgery isn’t always a complete solution. Some people still wind up needing medication afterwards. Be sure you’re under a doctor’s care if you take heartburn drugs regularly. They can slightly increase the risk of pneumonia. The key is to get treatment.
- If you have frequent nighttime heartburn – and lifestyle changes aren’t helping – see your doctor.
- In recent years, we’ve become more and more aware of GERD as a risk for much more serious conditions, even cancer,” says Cheskin.
- It’s not just heartburn.
- So you shouldn’t be complacent about it until you have it checked out.” As for White, he says that treatment with a proton pump inhibitor has made a big difference.
His symptoms have improved dramatically over the last few years. Nonetheless, his case is severe and he says his doctor thinks he may need surgery in the future.
Should I lay on my stomach if I have heartburn?
Left Side – Sleep on your left side. Gravity will work in your favor on your left side as your stomach now stays below your esophagus, making reflux more difficult. Should stomach acid escape, gravity can return it to your stomach quicker than when on your right side or on your back which is why the left is usually the best side to sleep on to avoid acid reflux.
Plus, lying down on your left side produces reflux symptoms that tend to be more gaseous, which may be annoying but much less distressing than liquid reflux that comes with lying down on your right side. Studies show that symptoms are less frequent and less severe when a person sleeps on their left side rather than their right side or back, making it a more desirable sleep position for people with GERD.
Talk to your doctor if you’re experiencing any symptoms that are affecting your sleep.
Why is heartburn bad at night?
Heartburn occurs as a result of food and acid leaking from the stomach up into the food pipe, or esophagus. Experiencing heartburn at night may mean that a person ate too soon before going to bed. As a person swallows their food, it passes through the esophagus and into the stomach through a band of muscle called the esophageal sphincter.
The esophageal sphincter acts as a valve to the stomach, keeping food from moving back into the esophagus. Sometimes, the esophageal sphincter may fail to close completely, allowing acid and food to leak from the stomach up into the esophagus. When this occurs, it causes the burning sensation that people call heartburn.
Heartburn at night can occur as the person lies down to sleep or while they are sleeping. When someone eats while either sitting or standing, the force of gravity helps keep acid and food inside the stomach during digestion, making symptoms less likely.
dietary triggers, such as spicy foodhaving obesityhigh stress levelssmoking or drinking alcoholwearing tight fitting clothingeating very large mealseating too close to bedtime
It is common for women to experience heartburn during pregnancy, even if they did not frequently experience it before becoming pregnant. Research from 2015 notes that 17–45% of women experience heartburn during pregnancy. It can occur for many reasons, including the added pressure inside the body, weight gain, and changes in hormones and stress levels.