Causes of heartburn
When you eat, your food is swallowed and travels down the digestive tract before getting to your stomach, where digestive juices do their work. Usually, the valve that separates your oesophagus from your stomach closes, keeping these acids in their proper place. If the valve is faulty, it can result in acid reflux, when hte acid from your stomach creeps up into the oesophagus. Acid reflux does not automatically result in heartburn, but it is annoyingly common.
Heartburn can affect anyone, but if you are overweight, smoke, wear tight fitting clothing or favour spicy or hard to digest foods, you may find yourself more in the line of fire.
Remedies
Antacids will help relieve the symptoms of heartburn, but more effective is to make changes to your diet or lifestyle, so that it is not a recurring problem. Keep track of what causes heartburn to flare up – you may need to adjust the heat of your curry, or drink a little less or swap simple carbohydrates for more complex ones. Drink plenty of water to help dilute the acid and eat plenty of time before going to bed.
Loosen off some of your clothing (and take steps to lose a little weight if thatis causing the snug fit) as it will relieve some of the pressure on your stomach.
Sometimes night time is heartburn time. You may find relief by sleeping in a slightly elevated postion.
If you have tried all these remedies without success, consult your pharmacist or GP. Heartburn is not ideal to live with for your overall health long term, as well as being really unpleasant.