Following a delicious and hearty meal that is loaded with fats and spices, you will naturally feel content and sated. Until you feel heartburn kicking in, sending you scrambling to take an antacid to ease your pain.

This is a fairly common experience for lots of people. It involves a burning feeling in the chest that usually comes with a strong sour taste at the back of the mouth, coming up from the throat.

Symptoms Could Persist for a Couple of Hours

Specifically, you will feel a painful and burning sensation behind the sternum or breastbone, right in your chest’s center portion. The pain you feel may worsen after eating, when lying down, bending over, or at night. A heartburn episode could persist for a couple of minutes to several hours.

Aside from this uncomfortable burning feeling, heartburn may also come with a bitter, salty, and sour fluid in the throat. It feels as if there is food stuck in your lower throat or chest, accompanied by pain when swallowing.

While heartburn episodes ordinarily begin following the consumption of a huge meal, certain foods could trigger it even if you do not consume a lot of it.

How Heartburn Occurs and What Triggers It

When acids in the stomach flow right back up into the esophagus, you may feel heartburn. Foods that could cause it include the following:

  • Tomatoes and foods based on tomatoes like sauces and ketchup
  • Chocolate
  • Peppermint
  • Coffee
  • Caffeinated drinks
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Fried and fatty foods
  • Spicy foods
  • Citrus fruits and juices
  • Carbonated beverages like sodas
  • Full fat dairy items

Some immediate actions could further trigger heartburn. These include eating a massive meal, lying down right after eating a big meal, and wearing very tight bottoms.

You may have an increased risk of experiencing heartburn if you smoke, are obese or overweight, under emotional or psychological stress, are pregnant, have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or have a hiatal hernia. Additionally, side effects of some medications can also result in heartburn.

Treating Heartburn

In the event that changing your diet and addressing your risk factors still do not decrease your heartburn episodes, medications such as antacids may be the next step. But if you experience regular and severe episodes, there is a chance that you have GERD.

You might benefit from a thorough evaluation by your family doctor. If you experience the following, consult your doctor as well:

  • More regular and severe symptoms
  • Difficulty or pain when swallowing
  • Your symptoms are worse when you take certain medications
  • You experience sudden and inexplicable weight loss
  • You are wheezing
  • You vomit during heartburn episodes
  • Your heartburn episodes are negatively affecting your daily activities

Although heartburn is ordinarily due to consuming triggering foods, it is vital to note that it can also indicate more serious health conditions like GERD. The occasional heartburn episode can typically be treated with OTC meds.

On the other hand, chronic heartburn could damage the esophagus and lead to swallowing issues, inflammation, and bleeding. Get medical help if your episodes are becoming more and more frequent.