Causes of Heartburn and How To Treat It

When you get a pain in your chest just underneath your sternum you most likely have what is known as heartburn. What causes heartburn and how do you treat it. The causes of heartburn are fairly easy to pinpoint and and the ability to prevent it is also within your grasp.

One of the causes of heartburn is eating a large meal. If you notice that you experience heartburn often after you eat a larger than normal meal then this is probably the case with you. What occurs is that the meal takes up too much room in your stomach. As a result of this the acids from your foods are forced to the top while your food is digesting. The acids will spill into your esophagus. This can cause sharp pains in your chest and can also cause a burning sensation in your throat that can be quite uncomfortable.

Believe it or not trying to wear a pant size that is too small may also cause heartburn. Tight fitting clothes increase in your stomach and create similar symptoms such as has been described. So you should either lose some weight so that your clothes fit you better or you should buy a new wardrobe.

Another cause of heartburn is eating fatty or oily foods. Foods such as fried chicken, french fries, and other deep fried foods can take quite a while to digest. This can take up too much space in your stomach and cause the same symptoms described above.

Other causes of heartburn can be smoking and drinking alcohol and certain foods. Some foods will bother some people while not affecting others. Citrus fruits, chocolate, caffeine are among some of the foods that cause heartburn in a select group of people. If these seem to bother then you will want to cut back on your consumption of them. Yet another food cause of heartburn is spicy food. Spicy food increases the production of acid in your stomach.

So what are some of the things that you can do to help limit heartburn. As discussed already you can make sure you eat in moderation, where loose clothing around the stomach area and stay away from certain foods that seem to bother you. Exercise may also help.

If you only experience heartburn every now and then you probably do not have a real problem. However, if you get it often it is a larger problem. It can lead to a few serious medical conditions if left unchecked. If after making the above changes you still struggle with heartburn then you may want to consult your doctor.