4 Important Lifestyle Tips for GERD Patients

GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is the condition where there is a chronic regurgitation of stomach acids and other similar digestive liquids that are brought back into the esophagus from the stomach. This disorder makes the patients uncomfortable and some of them have to live on medications and in extreme cases, also need to opt for gastrointestinal services such as surgery. That being said, here are some essential lifestyle tips that make life easier for the patients.

Take a look:

Make a List of Food That Cause Discomfort

The rule of the thumb is to prepare a list of food that leads to discomfort when you eat or drink them. Keep this list handy with you and refer to it when you are dining outside. Similarly, when you are visiting someone for a get-together, you can use the same list to give them a heads up about the food that do no agree with you.

Never Overeat

The next point is to never overeat and instead, stick to smaller meals in a day. Limiting yourself to 3-4 meals is going to make things easier for you and therefore, help you keep GERD under control. There are some research that suggest that when you eat meals that include more than 500 calories or 30 grams of fat, can worsen the condition further. This is the reason why you need to keep a check on how much you eat in a day. This will come to the rescue even before you go for Gastrointestinal Services in San Antonio.

Quit Smoking

The next tip is to avoid smoking as tobacco can worsen the condition. This is because it can reduce the production of saliva, which can then, increase the acid in your stomach and irritate the esophagus, leading to major discomfort when you have GERD. If you have been planning to quit smoking for good, do it without further delay and you will be able to notice a significant improvement in your health condition.

Don’t Nap or Sleep Within 3 Hours of Eating

A common mistake that most GERD patients do is to sleep or take a nap within 3 hours of eating. This causes the acid to easily flow back up the esophagus. You need to stay up for at least 3-4 hours post you eat. This is something every Gastroenterologist in San Antonio will also suggest you to do. Also, you need to check if the symptoms worsen at night and if that is the case, you may want to use an incline wedge pillow, which can help your cause.

These are some of the tips that will help things become slightly easy when you suffer from GERD. IF you have a persistent problem, then it may be time for you to go for AcidReflux Disease Treatment in San Antonio or elsewhere. For more such medical tips and insights, keep a tab on this space.