Is frequent heartburn interrupting your fun time with family and friends? Hi, I’m Dr. Frank McGeorge for Prilosec OTC. Today we’re going to talk about several lifestyle changes that can help decrease the impact heartburn has on your life—the seventh video in this series. There are ways you can begin to take control of your life: by not smoking, reducing stress, watching how much you eat, and exercising regularly—a minimum of 30 minutes, five days a week. Researchers found cigarette smoking slows the production of saliva, which is one of your body’s defenses against damage to the esophagus. You see, saliva production is critical to the stomach because saliva contains acid-reducing chemicals called bicarbonates. Not only does smoking decrease the acidity level of your stomach, but it also increases your body’s esophagus protection system that’s needed to fight acid backsplashes coming up from the stomach. Now, many have also found reducing stress to be a helpful means to avoid heartburn. While stress hasn’t been linked directly to heartburn, it is known that stress can lead to behaviors that elicit heartburn. During times of increased stress, people’s eating, exercise, and medication routines all become disrupted. For example, working late may cause you to eat late, which, as you know, doesn’t give your stomach time to digest before you lie down. Now, I know stress and some of these behaviors are hard ones to control or break, so start off with whatever is easiest for you. Take baby steps and before you know it, you will be well on your way to a healthier you. Eating slower can also make a big difference for heartburn sufferers. It’s been shown that people don’t completely sense how full they are until 15 to 20 minutes after eating. Now, elevating the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches can also help decrease the flow of stomach contents into places where they shouldn’t be. Try using plastic or wooden bed risers to support the bedposts or legs, or buy a therapeutic wedge pillow. It’s also important to avoid lying flat or bending over after eating. Staying upright increases the chances of your stomach contents staying put. That’s why it’s important not to go to bed right after eating. Another tip is to loosen your belt after big meals; as funny as this may seem, a tight belt tends to push your stomach contents up into the esophagus where they don’t belong. One thing you might not know is that maintaining a healthy weight is a critical part of managing heartburn. For some people, however, physical activity actually aggravates the symptoms of heartburn; in fact, often the more intense the exercise, the worse the heartburn symptoms. So just experiment and figure out which workout is best for your body. But here are a few basic tips: Try low-impact exercises like riding a bike or walking; running or jogging can actually increase the chances of acid reflux. Pursue aerobic exercises like swimming, cycling, and dancing instead of resistance exercises like weightlifting. Try going easy on your abs; crunches and sit-ups add pressure on the abdominal muscles, which can aggravate acid reflux. Remember also, use gravity; any position that reverses the natural gravity of digestion—like handstands or other inverted stretches—can trigger heartburn. In summary, reducing smoking and stress whenever possible, as well as eating slower, keeping your head elevated, wearing looser-fitting clothes, and staying in shape with regular exercise will decrease the impact that heartburn has on your life. If these changes aren’t enough to keep your heartburn at bay, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and possible treatment options. I’m Dr. Frank McGeorge for Prilosec OTC.