While liquid reflux can be very distressing, it can also be dangerous - when you lie flat on your right side acid tends to linger in your esophagus for much longer3.
This position potentially creates a leaky faucet sensation, releasing stomach acid into the delicate lining of your esophagus. When you sleep flat on your right side, your body then must work against gravity to return acid contents to your stomach, making it a much harder and lengthier process. Though episodes may be less frequent on your right when compared to flat on your back, the episodes are much more liquid in nature because your LES is often submerged in the acidic stomach content4. Studies have shown that sleeping at an incline decreases the frequency of reflux episodes and allows your body to clear reflux at a quicker rate 5.Īs long as your entire torso is elevated, the incline gives gravity a little encouragement in its effort to return reflux to your stomach. Instead, sleep at an inclineĪ simple boost in elevation can produce positive results when it comes to nighttime acid reflux. To reduce your nighttime heartburn and decrease the risks associated with prolonged acid exposure, try to avoid back sleeping at night. The severity of your symptoms may also increase if you have stomach fat, which pushes down on your stomach and LES and can “force” contents back up into the esophagus and beyond. Studies have shown that in this position, symptoms are often more frequent and tend to last longer 3. When lying flat on your back, a poorly functioning LES can allow acidic stomach contents to flow freely into the esophagus, and as a result, exaggerate acid reflux at night. Let’s take a look at some sleeping positions that you should avoid, as well as postures that are best suited for sleeping with acid reflux. This simple modification can go a long way towards reducing your nighttime acid reflux symptoms, and ultimately, protect you from the harmful long-term effects of refluxed stomach acid.
Which side should i sleep on to prevent gerd how to#
The good news is that you can learn how to sleep with acid reflux comfortably by simply adjusting how you position yourself at night.
How to Sleep With Acid Reflux & Heartburn The discomfort of nighttime acid reflux 9 can lead to poor sleep quality as heartburn and other symptoms cause disturbances throughout the night. This combination of factors can cause some to struggle with acid reflux at night even more so than during the day. When you lie down, you swallow less, and this can also make the return of reflux to the stomach more difficult 2. However, the interference of gravity that reduces reflux symptoms while you’re upright disappears when you lie down to sleep at night.
This quick return typically makes your symptoms shorter and minimizes the potential acid damage to the delicate lining of your esophagus that can occur from acid exposure. If reflux occurs when you are standing up, gravity and saliva quickly return the acidic content to your stomach. These issues can appear throughout the day, but many individuals may find that they intensify at night or will experience acid reflux in the morning, leading to physical discomfort, and as a result, poor sleep.ĭoes acid reflux get worse at night? For some, it can. Prolonged acid exposure potentially leads to serious health complications, such as erosive esophagitis, peptic strictures, esophageal ulcerations, Barrett’s esophagus, and in rare cases, esophageal cancer 1. More severe problems, like GERD ( gastroesophageal reflux disease) 8, come when reflux goes untreated. These problems can appear as uncomfortable physiological symptoms, such as: Problems arise when your LES doesn’t function properly, allowing your stomach contents to escape back up into your esophagus. If your LES functions correctly, what you eat will stay in your stomach with the occasional release of gas, also known as a burp. Your LES is a ring of muscles that act as a valve to control the flow of contents between your esophagus and your stomach. What you eat travels down your esophagus through your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and into your stomach where digestion begins. What causes acid reflux and what does it feel like? Let’s start with a short anatomy lesson.
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