Ask anyone that you know and they will be sure to tell that they have suffered from heartburn at one time or another in their life. It’s a condition that affects millions daily and the pain can be so bad it can actually stop some people in their tracks.

Heartburn is an ailment that is a byproduct of the lifestyle that we choose to lead. Poor dietary choices are the most common cause of heartburn, with junk food being a major contributor to the cause. It’s easy to believe, given where the pain resides, that it is some form of heart disease, but heartburn is actually a digestive problem.

The pain that you feel when heartburn arrives is caused by stomach acid travelling all the way up to your esophagus. When it finally reaches that point it can cause a burning sensation in your chest and may even cause a bitter taste in your mouth which is all a result of the stomach acid not being where it belongs.

It’s one of the more unpleasant feelings you can experience, so here are 10 ways that will help you keep heartburn at bay.

1. Being overweight can be a major contributor to heartburn as the fat will put pressure on the stomach, which in turn forces the acid up to the esophagus. Losing weight may help reduce your heartburn problems.
2. Eating too much in a single sitting can also cause heartburn, so try to break your meals into 5 or 6 smaller portions per day. This will allow your stomach to work at peak performance.
3. Try to eat a smaller meal at night before going to bed. A sandwich, salad, or bowl of soup is a much better option than a large meal which your stomach will have difficulty digesting. Foods that contain carbs and starch are also good at neutralizing acid in the stomach.
4. It may sound strange, but try to sit up straight when you eat. Doing so will relieve the pressure on your stomach and will prevent the acid from heading up to your esophagus.
5. Make sure that you drink plenty of water and stay away from carbonated drinks as much as humanly possible. Those types of drink cause gas, which also causes stomach pressure. Water acts as a cleanser of sorts and flushes away the stomach acid.
6. A single cup of green tea per day will help rid your body of many of the toxins that build up over time. Removing those makes it easier for your digestive system to do its job properly.
7. Stomach pressure is often at the heart of stomach acid issues, so try to wear clothes that aren’t tight and restricting around the stomach.
8. When you feel the onset of heartburn and want something a little healthier than an antacid, try drinking a cup of ginger tea.
9. As mentioned earlier, your lifestyle choices contribute to your heartburn problems, and that doesn’t just mean food. Try to eliminate smoking completely as it can cause your lower esophageal sphincter to stop working properly. It’s that which controls the flow of stomach acid to the esophagus.
10. If you frequently wake up in the night with heartburn, then try to adjust your sleeping position. The best way to do so is to elevate your head, but try to do it in a way that doesn’t simply involve adding extra pillows.

As you can see by the 10 items listed above. Some of the best ways to treat heartburn involve making a lifestyle change. If you can do that, you will find that your bouts of heartburn will lessen dramatically, and you may even feel much better in general.