Why does my heartburn only happen at night? Is it because I am sitting down? Is it because heart rate and blood pressure are lower at night?
Also
When I get episodes with heartburn my mouth produces a really thick saliva which I have to spit into a paper cup because I just can't swallow it. Is this normal?
Hi, I am no expert and am having to learn more than I ever wanted or needed about these horrid symptoms Now, quick vent out of the way lol!
Your reflux could be worse at night for two reasons - Gravity works against you when you lie flat and secondly, digestion slows down at night.
Many of us have the thick, copious saliva, it's a normal vagal response to nausea, heartburn. I have this constantly, and have just started a post asking if anyone has this all of the time...
Kim
I tend to agree. I ate lunch today and no heartburn. I was up and about at work - and even took a walk for some exercise.
My gut seems to function pretty well during the day and as you said it seems to malfunction at night.
So my short term remedy for all of this is to eat most of my calories earlier in the day and have a light meal at night. I bet a lot of night-time reflux sufferers do this.
As for the thick, unswallowable saliva it only accompanies my night-time reflux so I suppose my eating schedule can resolve both issues.
I'm new here & have had acid reflux & hiatal hernia for about 25 yrs. At first I just took Mylanta or something similar until I just gagged on it one day. That was the beginning of my learning to manage my acid reflux. I tried raising the bed & ended up in a ball at the foot of the bed. So I started experimenting with food etc. I noticed that I had less reflux if I slept on my left side. Like the previous poster I found it was easier to eat earlier in the day to avoid the problem all together. So I started eating like a Queen at breakfast, a Princess at lunch & a pauper at supper. Switching to a vegeterian diet really helped because meat needs more digestion. The fat in meat seemed to cause more acid reflux too. At supper I try to have something that will go through the stomach fast. I usually just have 16 ounces of milk in the form of hot chocolate which helps my lactose intolerance too. I use fat free powdered milk (Carnation instant which has a creamy taste). I'll usually have a salad with a little dressing. I can eat this about 3-4 hrs before bedtime & still get a good nights sleep. Eating out is mostly off limits for me because of the fat, spices etc. This poses a problem socially but I just take my hot chocolate & salad & tell people that I would love to eat but my acid reflux issues prevent that. Fam
Now, quick vent out of the way lol!
. Switching to a vegeterian diet really helped because meat needs more digestion. The fat in meat seemed to cause more acid reflux too. At supper I try to have something that will go through the stomach fast. I usually just have 16 ounces of milk in the form of hot chocolate which helps my lactose intolerance too. I use fat free powdered milk (Carnation instant which has a creamy taste). I'll usually have a salad with a little dressing. I can eat this about 3-4 hrs before bedtime & still get a good nights sleep. Eating out is mostly off limits for me because of the fat, spices etc. This poses a problem socially but I just take my hot chocolate & salad & tell people that I would love to eat but my acid reflux issues prevent that. Fam
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