Home Remedies for Acidity that Actually Work!

Heartburn or acid reflux is one of the most common problems that millions of people across the globe face regularly. It usually happens when we treat ourselves to spicy food or due to our irregular eating patterns. There are several other reasons due to which it can happen, and if it troubles you as well, you have reached the right place. It is because today, in this article, we shall be talking about 13 acidity home remedies that are highly effective. But before that, let us first understand what acidity is, and the science behind it.

What is Acid Reflux?

In order to digest the food that we eat, the digestive system comes into action and releases digestive acid in our stomach with the help of gastric glands. In some cases, when these gastric glands secrete excessive acid, it flows back into oesophagus and causes irritation and burning sensation. This condition is usually known as Acid Reflux or acidity.

If you are wondering what is oesophagus, it is the food pipe that carries everything that we eat and drink from our mouth to the stomach.

Symptoms of Acidity

Acid reflux (or acidity, as it is commonly known) has many symptoms. Here we list out some of the most common symptoms below:

1. Burning Sensation or Pain in Chest, Stomach, or Throat – This is the most common symptom of acidity. It is common for you to feel burning sensation or even pain in your chest, when you are suffering from acidity.

2. Indigestion – If you regularly suffer from indigestion, or cannot eat food beyond a limited quantity, know that you might be suffering from acidity.

3. Feeling of Vomiting or Nausea – Feeling of vomiting or nausea is a common complaint of people suffering from acidity. Many people often avoid eating because they get the feeling of vomiting whenever they look at food items.

4. Constipation & Flatulence – If you often face the embarrassing situation of flatulence or constipation is a common thing for you, acidity could very well be a culprit here, and you must get treated for it.

5. Heavy Stomach After Eating – If you feel your stomach to be heavy with pain in your stomach, it could be due to acidity, as well.

6. Burps and Bad Breath – Burping is a process of expelling air from your stomach using your mouth, and it can also lead to bad breath. If you find this familiar to you, it can be due to acidity.

7. Undigested Food Coming Back to Your Mouth – If you are suffering from severe acidity, it is possible that you might get the undigested food back to your mouth multiple times a day. It is a sign that you need to get the medication for acidity.

Reasons of Acidity

Now that you know some of the most common symptoms of acidity, let us understand why acidity occurs, and what you should do to avoid this situation. We list down some of the most common reasons of acidity below:

1. Irregular Eating Habits – Believe it or not, but this is the biggest reason for acidity. If you do not eat food at regular times or skip your meal often, you are inviting acidity. So, try as much as possible to eat food at regular times and avoid skipping meals.

2. Over-eating – Having food on time is not sufficient. It is equally important that you always have food in the right quantity. Overeating is one of the most common reasons why people suffer from acidity, because acid reflux usually increases after meals. Make sure that you never eat full stomach. Eat a little less than your stomach capacity while ensuring you eat in adequate quantities.

3. Unhealthy Eating Habits – If you are someone that drinks too much tea or coffee, or eats junk, spicy, or oily food, that could very well be a reason for having acidity. So, make sure that you always eat healthy food.

4. Poor Lifestyle and Stress -One of the major reasons for acidity is having a bad lifestyle, which includes taking stress, drinking alcohol, smoking, inadequate sleep, etc. Thus, make sure that you are avoiding these things and maintaining a proper lifestyle, to be on top of your health.

5. Stomach Ailments – Even if acidity is not regular to you, some stomach ailments like Gastro-oesophageal reflux Disease (GERD), ulcers can also lead to acid reflux.

Home Remedies for Acidity

Now that we know what acidity is, and why it occurs, let us understand some of the best home remedies for acidity and gas problem. The home remedies for acid reflux are known to be highly popular and might be of great help to you in case you suffer from acidity.

1. A Teaspoon of Fennel Powder

Eating fennel (also known as saunf) after a meal is customary in India, and you will find that even restaurants provide a bowl of fennel complementarity in the country. It is because studies have proven that fennel is beneficial for health, especially the digestive system. It is a traditional Indian medicine for a wide range of ailments related to reproductive, endocrine, digestive, and respiratory systems.

If you suffer from acidity, a teaspoon full of fennel powder with a glass of warm water might prove beneficial for you. It relieves most symptoms of acidity, including heartburn, bloating, etc., apart from improving your digestion. So, try it out once for yourself and see how effective it is as one of the home remedies for acidity.

2. Chewing Black Cumin Seeds

Black cumin seeds are known to be very effective when it comes to treating acidity. The cumin seeds contain carbohydrate, protein, fiber, etc., and are used to control other diseases like diabetes and asthma, apart from acid reflux.

It is the best home remedy for acidity, as it is known to be gastro protective. It is highly effective in reducing and preventing most of the symptoms of acidity, including heartburn, pain, nausea, bloating, constipation, etc.

To bring acidity in control, you can just chew cumin seeds directly, or if you find it to be difficult, you can boil around one teaspoon full of cumin seeds in a glass of water and drink it. You will see the effects within a few minutes of consuming it.

3. Drinking Lukewarm Water

This is the simplest and the easiest thing you could do to prevent acidity. Just drinking a glass of lukewarm water on an empty stomach in the morning, and right before going to the bed at night can be very effective in treating acidity.

Drinking lukewarm water in sufficient quantities flush out excesses and keeps your digestive system healthy and robust. A healthy digestive system helps in avoiding the common symptoms of acid reflux, including the heartburn, constipation, etc. So, If you are facing these symptoms, you must drink lukewarm water in the morning and during the night before going to sleep.

4. Drinking Watermelon Juice

We all know that watermelon is a great acid neutralizer, and hence, it is very effective even when it comes to relieving acidity. It is a low-acid fruit that is high on antioxidants, amino acids, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It has high water content because of which it is highly effective when it comes to controlling acidity.

Watermelon helps in digestion, and also keeps the body hydrated. Apart from that, it neutralizes the acid in the stomach and reduces the acid reflux. It is proven to be very good if you are facing heartburn, as it provides quick relief in case you are having burning sensations.

5. Drinking Butter Milk

Buttermilk is known to be one of the most nutritious drinks out there. It has several benefits, as it is used for lowering blood pressure levels, preventing dehydration, improving the digestive system, improving immunity, etc., apart from controlling acidity.

Buttermilk is made from curd and water and contains around 90% water with electrolyte like potassium. This helps maintain water balance of the body, and is good for fighting acid reflux, as well.

Apart from that, it also contains healthy bacteria and lactic acid, which helps improve our metabolism and digestion and is effective against constipation. With all these being symptoms of acidity, it can be the best home remedy for acidity.

6. Eating a Banana can Help

We all know that bananas are a nutritious fruit. But not many people know that it is also highly effective against acidity. This fruit is a rich source of potassium, fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and vitamin C. All this makes bananas one of the best acidity home remedies.

The fruit’s fiber content helps improve digestion and reduces acid’s reflux. Bananas fight acid reflux by coating the irritated oesophageal lining, which helps combat the discomfort and reduce the burning sensation that we feel due to reflux. Mixing banana with milk and consuming it can be a great way of warding off acid reflux.

7. Papaya is Highly Effective

Papaya is a tropical fruit that contains several nutrients and provides several health benefits. It contains beta-carotene, vitamin K, calcium, and vitamin A. The fruit is known to be effective against diseases like asthma, bone health, diabetes, cancer, etc.

Apart from that, papaya contains an enzyme papain that helps in improving digestion and reduce heartburn. It is also rich in fiber, which helps clear toxins in the stomach, which ultimately help control acid reflux. So, if you want quick relief from acidity, you should try out papaya, and we are sure it will help you out.

8. Drinking Cold Milk for Quick Relief

Milk not only builds immunity but has several other health benefits, as well. It is one of the best acidity home remedies and one of the simplest ways of fighting acid reflux. Milk is rich in calcium, which helps prevent acid buildup in your stomach.

This, in turn, immediately helps in getting rid of heartburn and pain caused due to acidity. So, if you want quick relief from acid reflux, you should drink a glass of cold milk, and you will feel the difference. However, you drink only cold milk in limited quantities, as overdoing it might stimulate the stomach to produce more acid.

9. Coconut Water

Coconut water is one of the most nutritious drinks nature has gifted us. It is rich in nutrients and helps us fight several diseases. It helps in hydrating the body and is also known to remove excessive heat of the body that, eases out the tissues.

Coconut water is rich in fiber, and it helps in improving the digestive system and prevents acid production. Drinking two glasses of coconut water daily is one of the best acidity home remedies, as it will help you overcome heartburn and reduce pain in the chest caused by acid reflux.

10. Avoid Eating within Three Hours of Going to Bed

People who suffer from acid reflux problems are advised against going to bed within three hours of eating their dinner. This recommendation is valid, but unfortunately, very little evidence backs up this claim.

However, a study that was conducted on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) showed that there is no effect on acid reflux among those who had their evening meal post 7:00 pm. Still, there was a reduced reflux rate among those who ate three hours before bed.

So, you should eat your dinner as early as possible, and there should be a gap of at least three hours before your meal and going to bed. If followed, this could be one of the best acidity home remedies.

11. Limit Alcohol Intake and Smoking

We all know that drinking alcohol and smoking have many harmful effects on health, but we seldom bother about it. However, we should know that it is equally harmful to those who suffer from acid reflux.

It is because drinking alcohol and smoking promote acid reflux and increase heartburn. It increases stomach acid and impairs the esophagus from clearing its acid, lowering the oesophageal sphincter, which increases acid reflux. If you experience heartburn, it is now time that you should avoid smoking and drinking.

12. Limit Carbonated Beverages

A study conducted on patients with suffering from GERD showed that carbonated soft drinks highly influence the acid reflux symptoms in them. It also showed that drinking carbonated water or cola-based drinks temporarily weaken the lower oesophageal sphincter, which increases the acid reflux, as compared to drinking normal water.

It is because these carbonated beverages contain carbon dioxide, which causes people to belch more often. Belching is an effect due to which in the stomach escapes into our food pipe causing acid reflux. So, if you face heartburn, you must try and avoid carbonated beverages as much as possible.

13. Elevating the Head of the Bed

Elevating the head of the bed is one of the most effective ways of reducing acid reflux in humans. It is a simple method wherein we can avoid the symptoms by following a simple posture while sleeping.

Most people experience increased reflux symptoms during the night, making it difficult for them to fall asleep. A study showed that people who slept with their heads elevated had significantly fewer episodes of acid reflux and related symptoms than those who slept without an elevation of the head. Another study showed that elevating the head of the bed is an effective strategy for reducing heartburn, acid reflux symptoms, and other similar symptoms during the night.

Conclusion

Acidity, which is also known as acid reflux, is a common digestive complaint that most of us neglect and ignore until it becomes a serious issue. This is a common occurrence among people of all age groups across the globe. Some of the most common symptoms of acidity include heartburn, chest pain, constipation, burps, bad breath, nausea, the feeling of vomiting, etc. Acidity is caused due to various reasons, including irregular eating habits, improper lifestyle, poor lifestyle, etc. However, it can be treated in several ways, and we have discussed several acidity home remedies in this article. Additionally, acidity can be treated by following several preventive measures like regularly working out, proper eating and sleeping habits, etc.

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