Despite the name, heartburn is not caused by the heart. Heartburn is a burning feeling in the chest that happens when stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.
Occasional heartburn is common and may improve with simple at-home steps, such as sitting upright after meals, avoiding trigger foods, and changing how close to bedtime you eat. However, frequent or severe heartburn may be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD.
Important: If you have chest pain that is severe, new, persistent, or comes with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, or pain spreading to your arm, jaw, neck, or back, seek emergency medical care right away. These symptoms may be signs of a heart attack, not heartburn. CLS Health advises seeking emergency help if you have persistent chest pain and are not sure whether it is heartburn.
Let’s explore safe at-home ways to help relieve occasional heartburn naturally, what to avoid, and when it may be time to see a healthcare provider.
What Causes Heartburn?
Heartburn happens when stomach acid moves backward into the esophagus. This is also called acid reflux. The esophagus is not designed to handle stomach acid, so reflux can cause burning, discomfort, or irritation.
Common heartburn triggers include:
- Certain foods: Spicy, fatty, fried, acidic, or rich foods may trigger symptoms.
- Large meals: Eating too much at once can put pressure on the stomach.
- Lying down after eating: Reclining too soon after meals can make it easier for acid to move upward.
- Alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, or carbonated drinks: These may worsen reflux for some people.
- Excess weight: Extra pressure around the abdomen can increase reflux symptoms.
- Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and pressure on the stomach can make heartburn more common.
- Smoking or tobacco use can affect the muscle that helps keep stomach acid down.
- Stress may not directly cause reflux, but it can make symptoms feel worse or affect eating habits.
For some people, heartburn is an occasional annoyance. But if it happens often, wakes you up at night, or requires frequent over-the-counter medicine, it may be a sign of GERD.
Quick Heartburn Relief at Home
When heartburn starts, a few simple steps may help reduce discomfort.
Sit Upright
Stay upright after symptoms begin. Sitting or standing can help keep stomach acid where it belongs. Avoid lying down right after meals or when heartburn symptoms are active.
Sip Water
Sipping water may help clear acid from the esophagus and reduce irritation. Avoid drinking large amounts quickly, which may make you feel too full and worsen reflux.
Loosen Tight Clothing
Tight waistbands, belts, or compression around the abdomen can increase pressure on the stomach. Loosening tight clothing may help reduce reflux discomfort.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum
Chewing sugar-free gum can increase saliva production, which may help clear acid from the esophagus. Choose non-mint gum, since peppermint may trigger reflux for some people.
Avoid Bending Over After Eating
Bending at the waist can push stomach contents upward. If you need to pick something up, try bending at your knees instead.
Lifestyle Changes That May Help Prevent Heartburn
Natural heartburn relief is often less about one quick remedy and more about reducing the habits or triggers that allow reflux to happen.
Eat Smaller Meals
Large meals can stretch the stomach and increase pressure, making reflux more likely. Try eating smaller, more frequent meals if large meals trigger your symptoms.
Avoid Eating Before Bed
Try to finish eating at least two to three hours before lying down. This gives your stomach more time to empty before you go to sleep.
Elevate Your Head While Sleeping
If heartburn happens at night, raising the head of your bed or using a wedge pillow may help. Stacking regular pillows may not work as well because it can bend your body at the waist and increase pressure on the stomach.
Track Your Trigger Foods
Heartburn triggers can vary from person to person. Common triggers include:
- Spicy foods
- Fried or fatty foods
- Citrus fruits
- Tomato-based foods
- Chocolate
- Peppermint
- Coffee or other caffeinated drinks
- Alcohol
- Carbonated beverages
Keeping a food and symptom diary can help you identify patterns.
Maintain a Healthy Weight When Appropriate
For some people, weight around the abdomen can increase pressure on the stomach and worsen reflux. If weight may be contributing to your symptoms, a healthcare provider can help you choose a safe and realistic weight loss plan.
Avoid Tobacco
Smoking and tobacco use can worsen reflux symptoms and irritate the digestive tract. If you use tobacco, quitting may help reduce symptoms and improve your overall health.
Natural Remedies to Use with Caution
Some natural remedies may soothe discomfort for certain people, but not all are proven to treat heartburn. Some may even make symptoms worse.
Ginger Tea
Ginger may help some people with nausea or general digestive discomfort. However, it does not work for everyone and may exacerbate symptoms in some people. If you try ginger tea, use a mild amount and stop if symptoms worsen.
Milk
Milk may temporarily soothe heartburn for some people, but it can worsen symptoms for others, especially if it is high in fat. If milk triggers your symptoms, avoid using it as a remedy.
Aloe Vera Juice
Some people use aloe vera juice for digestive discomfort, but products vary, and aloe may cause diarrhea or interact with certain medications. Talk with a healthcare provider before using aloe regularly, especially if you are pregnant, have a medical condition, or take prescription medicine.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is sometimes used as a home remedy because it can neutralize acid. However, it contains sodium and may not be safe for people with high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or those on sodium-restricted diets. Do not use baking soda regularly for heartburn unless your provider says it is safe.
Apple Cider Vinegar or Pickle Juice
Apple cider vinegar and pickle juice are acidic and may worsen heartburn for some people. There is no strong evidence that they relieve heartburn, so use caution and avoid them if they trigger burning or discomfort.
What If Natural Remedies Are Not Enough?
If lifestyle changes do not provide enough relief, over-the-counter options may help. These include antacids, H2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors also called PPIs.
- Antacids can help with occasional heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid, but they do not treat the underlying cause and are not meant to be a long-term solution if symptoms happen often. Antacids may work well for occasional acid reflux, but can have side effects if taken too often.
- For frequent GERD symptoms, healthcare providers may recommend medicines that reduce acid production, such as H2 blockers or PPIs. NIDDK notes that PPIs lower stomach acid and may help heal the esophageal lining in many people with GERD.
Talk with our gastroenterologists if you need heartburn medicine more than twice a week or if symptoms keep returning.
When to See a Doctor for Heartburn
Occasional heartburn may improve with lifestyle changes. However, frequent or severe symptoms should be evaluated.
Make an appointment with a healthcare provider if you have:
- Heartburn more than twice a week
- Symptoms that wake you up at night
- Trouble swallowing
- Pain with swallowing
- Persistent nausea or vomiting
- Unexplained weight loss
- Vomit that looks bloody or like coffee grounds
- Black or bloody stools
- Symptoms that continue despite over-the-counter medicine
- A need to take heartburn medicine often
- Hoarseness, chronic cough, or throat irritation along with reflux symptoms
CLS Health recommends making an appointment if GERD symptoms are severe or frequent, or if you take nonprescription heartburn medicine more than twice a week.
Get Help for Frequent Heartburn or Acid Reflux
Heartburn does not have to disrupt your daily life. Simple changes, such as eating smaller meals, avoiding trigger foods, staying upright after meals, and elevating your head at night, may help reduce occasional symptoms.
But if heartburn happens often, keeps coming back, or affects your sleep or daily routine, it may be time to talk with a healthcare provider. A personalized evaluation can help identify the cause of your symptoms and determine whether GERD or another condition may be involved.
