Heartburn Symptoms and Triggers
What does heartburn feel like?
Heartburn symptoms can vary from person to person. But the main heartburn symptom is a burning pain in the chest that begins at the breastbone and moves up toward the throat.
Heartburn can last for hours and is often worse after eating, when the stomach produces the most acid. Some people are also awakened by uncomfortable symptoms during the night.
Tracking triggers
Heartburn can be triggered by many things — something you eat or drink, another medical condition, or lifestyle habits. Triggers can contribute to heartburn by doing one of several things: relaxing the LES (lower esophageal sphincter), increasing acid production, increasing pressure on the stomach (forcing acid upward), or making the esophagus more sensitive to acid. Possible triggers include:
Eating habits:
- * Eating citrus fruits, chocolate, peppermint, tomatoes or tomato-based products, raw onions, garlic, black pepper, vinegar and fatty or spicy foods
- * Drinking caffeinated, carbonated or alcoholic beverages, such as coffee, cola or beer
- * Eating large portions
- * Eating before bedtime
Body positions:
- * Lying down or bending over on a full stomach
- * Exercises that cause increased pressure on the abdomen
Various conditions that could also cause heartburn symptoms include:
- * Pregnancy
- * Hiatal hernia
- * Certain medications
- * GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- * Being overweight
Lifestyle habits:
- * Smoking
- * Stressful lifestyle
- * Wearing restrictive clothing
See Fighting Your Heartburn for tips on avoiding heartburn triggers and living a healthy, heartburn-free lifestyle.