What Causes Heartburn?

To Effectively Manage Heartburn You Need To Understand Why You Suffer With It

Almost everyone is going to suffer from heartburn at some point in their lives; the important things to learn are what causes it and how to manage it. Once you have a basic understanding of heartburn you will be able to manage it better.

What is heartburn?
To many people heartburn is a pain which happens after eating. In fact it is contents of the stomach being forced back up into the oesophagus. Between the stomach and the oesophagus is a valve, this is supposed to be one way, but under pressure it gives in. This is where the problem arises; the stomach side of the valve is designed to handle stomach contents, whereas the other side is not equipped for this content. Hence heartburn follows.

Why does the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) sometimes allow food back up?
The most common reason for the LES to give way is due to pressure. This can be caused by being overweight. When we are carrying extra weight it puts pressure on the stomach. Pregnant women also suffer from heartburn, as their uterus expands it puts pressure on their stomach. Obviously, if you are overweight the ideal solution is to lose a few pounds. However, while you are achieving this, you can still reduce your heartburn. The way that pregnant women resolve this is to eat small meals at regular intervals.

Do not believe that heartburn is the curse of the overweight, there are plenty of skinny people out there who suffer just as often. If you eat a large meal and your stomach struggles to digest the unexpected amount of food this can just as easily lead to heartburn. Equally, lying down or bending over when you have a full stomach can exert enough pressure on the LES to release food back into the oesophagus.

It is important to minimise the occurrence of heartburn, not only because of the pain you suffer, but also for your health. If you constantly get heart burn you are constantly forcing the one way valve to work both ways. This can lead to the valve becoming less effective, and in some cases it can lead to scarring on the tissue of the valve which will prevent it from working properly.