Heartburn is the symptom of acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD). It occurs when the stomach acid moves back to reach the esophagus and causes a burning sensation. It may occur due to many reasons. Do you know that the stress you got from unknown facts can also cause heartburn? Yes, the studies have revealed the relationship between stress and heartburn. The stress can act as a trigger for heartburn. The emotions you feel may disturb the process in the stomach. Studies also suggest that any bad moment in the house can affect the digestive system and can increase the risk for gastroesophageal reflux diseases. But why we are here today to find can stress cause heartburn? What the study says let us try to find in detail.
Bad emotion does not increase the production of stomach acid. What happens is it makes the brain to be more active for small pain. The stress you feel may also affect your eating behavior. It may cause you to eat more, drink more, increase your smoking counts, and can make you eat unhealthy food.
If you ask, whether we have any solution to reduce the heartburn? Yes, you can make your stomach to be calm by following the stress-relieving techniques.
How Studies Relate
Studies are finding that there is a connection between stress and heartburn. The more you feel stressed can increase the heartburn sensation.
A study conducted in 2004 published that the cause of heartburn in the participants has a strong relation to severe life stress. Their most stressful events in life increase the symptoms of heartburn in them.
A study in 1998 revealed that the women had heartburn because of the stressful family situation and hectic days at home. For men, heartburn triggers by long work hours and business travels, they revealed.
A 2009 study revealed that the participants who had work-related stress had exposed the severe symptoms of GERD.
How Does Stress Cause Or Worse Heartburn?
Can stress cause heartburn? Still, it is not clear whether the stress can cause heartburn or acid reflux by increasing stomach acid production. But scientist believes that stress may stimulate the brain to act more on small pain. A study revealed that people who had stressed feelings had felt more pain caused due to stomach acid.
The production of prostaglandins can also get affected in people with stress. Prostaglandins are substances that protect the stomach from acid reactions. The decrease in this substance can increase your discomfort.
When you feel more stressed and exhausted, the changes happening in the body may increase the production of stomach acid and acid reflux. This stress can also worsen the acid reflux symptoms who already suffered with.
How the other ways the stress can relate to heartburn.
Can stress cause indigestion? Stress hormones may slow down digestion and make the food stay longer in the stomach. This may increase the time for stomach acid to flow into the esophagus.
Can stress cause acid reflux? The stress may not increase the production of stomach acid, but what happens is when the stomach flows into the esophagus, your brain responds more to the pain.
Since there is a connection between the brain and the digestive system, whenever there is a problem in digestion, you may get a reaction from the brain in return. So, the heartburn can increase the stress level, likely the stress can make heartburn worse.
Lifestyle Changes To Prevent Stress And Heartburn
Since there is a link between stress and heartburn, lifestyle changes that can reduce stress can reduce the risk of acid reflux symptoms. Likely, taking the food that promotes good digestion and non-trigger foods can reduce the acid reflux which in turn the stress level can be maintained.
How can you manage stress?
- Regular exercise not only helps in muscle strength but also releases more feel-good hormones. Exercise also reduces strain on the stomach.
- Sleep for 7 to 8 hours daily.
- Practice relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, listening to music, and more.
- Learn to laugh
- Go outdoors and smell nature.
- Spend time with pets
How can reduce heartburn?
- Avoid trigger foods such as caffeine, citrus fruits, chocolate, spicy and fried foods, tomatoes, and fatty foods.
- Cut smoking
- Limit or eliminate drinking alcohol
- Eat healthy and fiber-rich food
- Avoid large meals, eat frequent and smaller meals
- Follow a low-acid diet
- Wear Loose Clothes
- Set your healthy weight goals
- Avoid spicy foods
- Avoid eating fried foods.
When you have stress, you may tend to eat unhealthy foods, may increase your smoke counts, and can force you to drink alcohol and other bad eating habits. It may affect your digestive system and can cause acid reflux or heartburn. By making small changes in your lifestyle you can avoid stress and heartburn in your life.
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