Acid Reflex Pillows
With a normal stomach, lying prone is not a problem, but if you have acid reflux, lying flat on your back or on your stomach can cause pain, nausea, vomiting, and regurgitation. The normal digestive tract will move food from the mouths through the esophagus, into the stomach and intestine. For those with acid reflux syndrome, the stomach and acid contents can return into the esophagus causing pain and scarring.
A chronic health problem, acid reflux once begun is difficult to halt. There are many treatments available, but no actual cure. Even a normal digestive tract will have some stomach acids back up into the esophagus, but for those with chronic acid reflux syndrome the acid is more concentrated and has a tendency to hang in the esophagus for a longer period of time.
For those with acid reflux syndrome they also may find that they salivate on a more regular basis. This is the body's own defense mechanism against acid reflux, as saliva contains bicarbonate. Bicarbonate is the opposite of the stomach acid causing neutrality within the esophagus tube.
For those with acid reflux, the daytime is usually the best as gravity, the upright position, and the ability to swallow on a regular basis helps keep acid reflux syndrome to a minimum. While trying to get sleep at night is when you will find acid reflex patients are the most miserable. Swallowing becomes minimal, gravity does not help, creating an atmosphere where the acids lying in the esophagus for a longer period of time actually burn the esophagus wall.
There are many different acid reflex therapies and treatments available, but using pillows to increase the angle of the body at night can help quite a bit. A simple raising of six to 10 inches can increase the gravity pressure, allowing the patient sleep and the ability to swallow easier, resulting in less scarring, pain and inflammation.
There are a variety of different types of sleeping pillows available to help raise you at least 6 inches. You may find body pillows, therapeutic pillows, or even wedge foam pieces to help raise you comfortably and easily the required amount to decrease the esophagus scarring during sleep periods.
While acid reflux can be a daily battle for some, those that are pregnant or obese have even more difficulty. Not only do the increase in levels of hormones during pregnancy and the higher levels of fat in the obese cause problems, but because of the weight of the child or excess weight of the individual, the sphincter muscle has undue pressure and acid reflux results.
It's important should you feel that you have acid reflux syndrome beginning in your life that you immediately head for your doctor. The scarring, pain and inflammation that can happen with acid reflux can leave permanent damage and a doctors advice and prescriptions may be needed to halt the vicious cycle.
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