GERD is one of the most common reasons for sleep disturbance. It causes acid reflux, heartburn, pain, sleeping issues, and other symptoms that lead to irritation. People who deal with nighttime heartburn faces the following sleep-related issues:
- Daytime sleeplessness
- Insomnia
- Sleep apnea
- Restless leg syndrome
People with sleep apnea also deal with GERD. It is a condition in which people experience shallow breathing or one or more than one breathing pauses while sleeping. These pauses can last from a few seconds to even a few minutes. Normally breathing resumes after some time but it makes a loud choking or snort sound.
Sleep apnea can also make people feel lethargic during the daytime because of having disturbed sleep during the night.
Symptoms of GERD like choking and coughing get elevated while lying down or attempting to sleep. People dealing with these issues look for instant relief from gas so that they can have a peaceful sleep at night.
Therefore, to help them out, we have mentioned some effective tips to reduce digestive issues and help in having proper sleep.
Avoid wearing tight clothes while sleeping
Tight clothes, especially from your waist, put more pressure on the stomach and elevate heartburn symptoms. So it is recommended to wear loose clothes while going to bed.
Avoid late-night meals and heavy meals
Make sure not to eat a tummy full meal 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. Doing this will reduce the stomach acid and allow it to partially empty its contents before sleeping. Large meals put pressure on the stomach, so it is suggested to have smaller meals in the evening to prevent nighttime heartburn.
Quit smoking
Smoking is one of the most common reasons that trigger the symptoms of GERD. Smoking cigarettes irritates the GI tract and relaxes the esophagus muscles that keep stomach acid at its right place. So, people with GERD and sleeping issues should quit smoking as soon as possible.
Don’t eat food that triggers heartburn
Foods that trigger heartburn differ from one person to another. But some common foods cause heartburn and disturb sleep in most cases, such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, chocolate, garlic, milk, onion, spicy and fried foods, etc. It is recommended to check which food increases heartburn and other acid reflux symptoms and make sure not to take them before sleeping.
Final note
Along with following these lifestyle changes, one can also take ayurvedic medicines like Gas-O-Fast jeera to keep gas and acidity at bay. In case the problems are persisting after following these steps, then one must see a doctor as soon as possible.
