Heartburn is an uncomfortable, sometimes painful burning sensation in your chest. It’s the main symptom of stomach acid coming back up into your esophagus, says Christopher Marshall, MD, clinical chief of gastroenterology at UMass Memorial Health in Worcester, Massachusetts. It typically occurs after meals.
For many people, heartburn only causes temporary discomfort and irritation. However, if you experience chronic or severe heartburn, it’s important to reach out to your doctor. Over time, your stomach acid can actually damage your esophagus, Dr. Marshall says.
Here are eight ways you can prevent heartburn and stop the pain if it’s already set in.
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1. Avoid Foods That Trigger Heartburn
Some foods or drinks are more likely to bring on, or trigger, heartburn. Avoiding these can help prevent episodes of heartburn. Acidic items like coffee, citrus, and tomato sauce are common culprits.
To determine which foods and drinks trigger heartburn for you, try keeping a log of heartburn episodes. Include what you ate and what you did immediately after eating to help you identify what might make yours worse.
“It’s all about developing an individualized plan based on what works for you,” says Matthew Hoscheit, MD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
2. Stay Upright After Eating
Dr. Hoscheit recommends not lying down for a few hours after eating. In fact, research suggests sitting or walking after a meal, instead of lying down, is beneficial for reflux symptoms.
“The process of digestion is going to take a couple hours and what happens is food sits in the stomach for a while,” Hoscheit says. “Eat sitting upright and maintain that upright position after. You can sit ... [but avoid slouching], you can go for a walk — just don’t lay down.”
3. Time Your Meals
Hoscheit recommends timing your meals so you have at least two hours between when you finish eating and bedtime.
Studies show going to sleep within three hours of eating a meal is a heartburn trigger. “If you lie flat on your back after you eat, your stomach will be completely horizontal with the esophagus, and acid can more easily slip up,” Hoscheit says.
He recommends giving yourself between two and four hours between eating and bedtime. “That might mean you have to move your dinner time earlier or move bedtime later,” he says.
Once in bed, some people find it helpful to prop themselves up with a few pillows so their chest stays elevated during sleep, too, says Marshall.
4. Eat a Banana
Eating bland foods can help prevent heartburn episodes. Bland foods bind to stomach acid and neutralize it, buffering its ability to cause discomfort, says Hoscheit.
The same bland foods won’t work for everyone, so try a few different foods, like a banana. If bananas don’t work, keep track of what seems to best stave off your symptoms.
5. Try Alkaline Water
There’s some evidence that bicarbonate-rich mineral water, sometimes sold as alkaline water, can be an effective remedy for heartburn in many people.
In one study involving 150 people, patients who were treated with alkaline water were 20 percent more likely to report heartburn relief than those who took a placebo. Keep in mind, participants drank 1.5 liters of alkaline water per day, so this can be quite a commitment.
6. Keep Over-the-Counter Antacids on Hand
There are plenty of options for over-the-counter antacids that can be taken as needed when heartburn kicks in. Hoscheit recommends determining which one works best for you and keeping some with you, especially when you go out to eat.
These medicines help neutralize stomach acid, which can help ease symptoms quickly. Just keep in mind they can have side effects if they’re overused.
7. Consider Prescription Medication if Needed
If you have chronic symptoms that aren’t managed with over-the-counter antacids, talk to your doctor. You may have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). There are many safe and effective prescription medications that may be able to better control your symptoms.
“There are so many different things that can be great for reflux, but they work in different ways,” Hoscheit says.
Marshall says chronic heartburn can also be caused by a common condition called a hiatal hernia, which pushes the esophagus up past where it should be. A doctor can diagnose any underlying issues and decide what the best course of treatment may be.
8. Make Lifestyle Changes
Both maintaining a healthy weight and refraining from smoking can make a big difference in the amount of heartburn a person experiences, says Hoscheit.
Excessive adipose tissue around the belly can push on the stomach, causing acid reflux, Marshall says.
“When I manage people with reflux, I generally recommend diet and lifestyle changes rather than adding things to their diet,” he says. “There are some people who get relief from things like alkaline water, but it’s putting a bandaid on the problem rather than addressing it.”
The Takeaway
Heartburn is an uncomfortable, but typically temporary symptom of mild acid reflux. There are many ways to help alleviate it.
Avoiding common triggers, like acidic foods and beverages, may help prevent heartburn episodes and improve your comfort.
Consider eating smaller meals and staying upright for a couple of hours after meals to reduce heartburn risk.
Explore lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight or quitting smoking to alleviate frequent heartburn and improve your overall health.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Zhang M et al. Dietary and Lifestyle Factors Related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Systematic Review. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management. April 15, 2021.
Labenz J et al. Heartburn Relief With Bicarbonate-Rich Mineral Water: Results of the Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Phase-III Trial STOMACH STILL. BMJ Open Gastroenterology. February 27, 2023.
Ira Daniel Breite, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also sees patients and helps run an ambulatory surgery center.
Dr. Breite divides his time between technical procedures, reading about new topics, and helping patients with some of their most intimate problems. He finds the deepest fulfillment in the long-term relationships he develops and is thrilled when a patient with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease improves on the regimen he worked with them to create.
Breite went to Albert Einstein College of Medicine for medical school, followed by a residency at NYU and Bellevue Hospital and a gastroenterology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Working in city hospitals helped him become resourceful and taught him how to interact with people from different backgrounds.
Kaitlin Sullivan reports on health, science, and the environment from Colorado. She has a master's in health and science journalism from the City University of New York.
