Do you want to sleep better and wake up refreshed? The simple explanation may be gravity!
If you are one of the more than 60 million people who put up with frequent heartburn, acid indigestion or GERD (Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease), sleeping on a wedge pillow may be just what the physician ordered.
Unlike drugs, sleeping on a wedge pillow has no potentially negative side effects – the only side effect is a healthier, more relaxed good night’s sleep.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder described as a back flow of acid from the stomach into the esophagus. The esophagus is intended to carry food and liquid only one way – from the mouth to the stomach. When the lower esophageal sphincter muscle loosens and no longer prevents acid from refluxing or going back up the esophagus, GERD occurs. The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn, a painful burning sensation behind the breastbone, and, almost all and sundry experience it at some time. When it occurs often enough to impact your life and/or damage your esophagus, it is time to take action.
Symptoms of GERD, other than heartburn, consist of regurgitation, acid indigestion, and a bitter or sour taste in the mouth. Less usual symptoms are a chronic sore throat or cough, hoarseness, asthma, and chest pain. Symptoms are typically worse at night when the patient is lying flat and acid flows with no trouble from the stomach back up the esophagus.
Sleeping on a wedge pillow can give a drug-free, efficient, straightforward, reasonably priced, medically endorsed solution.
Recommended treatment begins with controlling the reflux of acid by elevating the body through the torso so that acid cannot travel back up the esophagus. Your head should be raised 6-8 inches on an slant that supports your body through the torso. Simply piling pillows under your head will cause your body to bend or fold in the middle and actually make your symptoms worse.
Other helpful lifestyle changes for reflux include:
* Eating plenty of fiber and drinking lots of fluids.
* Eating small meals and eating slowly.
* Not lying down for at least 1-2 hours after eating.
* Losing extra pounds. Added weight causes extra pressure on your stomach and can irritate symptoms.
* Wearing loose clothing. Tightly fitting clothes put extra pressure on your stomach.
* Not exercising for at least one hour after eating.
* Avoiding the following: alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, chocolate, carbonated beverages, spices, fried and fatty foods, tomato products, citrus, and peppermint. Try eliminating all of the above and then adding them back one at a time. Everything does not trigger heartburn in everyone.
