Summer Surge in Acid Reflux: Here’s How to Manage Your Symptoms

Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer from “seasonal acid reflux” — specifically during the summer? A great number of people who don’t usually have issues with acid reflux find themselves struggling to avoid reflux symptoms during their peak months of summer fun. Fortunately, there are simple lifestyle tips that sufferers can take to placate their sour stomachs.

If you suffer from morning nausea, nausea after eating, heartburn, a chronically sore throat, or relentless hiccoughing, you may be one of the over 20 million Americans suffering from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, also known as acid reflux. Acid reflux generally comes from a combination of two factors: eating acidic food and a loose esophageal sphincter allowing stomach acid to splash around in the throat. The acidic food lowers the pH levels of the stomach, making sufferers more vulnerable to acidic splash-back. A loose esophageal sphincter allows naturally occurring stomach acid to hit the back of the throat and to trigger the body’s natural gag reflexes, causing nausea and vomiting. The stomach is built to handle high levels of acid, but the esophagus is not, and excessive acidity in the esophagus can cause chronic sore throats, sour-tasting regurgitation, and nausea. Treating acid reflux requires treating both symptoms.

Many of the dietary and lifestyle changes that people make in the summer, such as increased tomato consumption, drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages at summer barbeques, eating fattier foods in the form of pizza, hot dogs or sausages, and eating later into the night trigger seasonal acid reflux in millions, who often don’t suffer at other times of the year. In order to lower one’s chances of seasonal acid reflux, sufferers should make basic dietary and lifestyle changes:

• Limit your intake of tomato-based foods. From pizza to chili to sauces, tomatoes are everywhere, especially during the peak tomato months lasting from May to September. Unfortunately, tomatoes are also highly acidic, and excessive intake can trigger acid reflux in many Americans.

• Lower alcohol consumption. Alcohol loosens the lower esophageal sphincter within minutes of consumption, allowing acid to splash up from the stomach and into the esophagus.

• Cut out the caffeine. While a cup of coffee is nice to get through the long summer days — caffeine, like alcohol, can loosen the esophagus sphincters, leaving sufferers vulnerable to acid reflux.

• Avoid spicy or citrusy foods. Chili and lemonade may be two staples of the summer, but they are also two staples of stomach acid. Citrus and spice are known triggers for acid reflux.

• Avoid fatty foods. Fatty foods take longer to digest and thus leave the stomach acidic for longer amounts of time, creating the perfect conditions for acid reflux.

• Don’t eat before bed. Late night-barbeques and 24/7 food options are great for summer fun, but eating before bed will leave you digesting as you lie down; causing an “open highway” for acid to travel through on the way to your esophagus. Eating your last meal several hours before bed can help to alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux.

• Sleep with your head raised. Many sufferers of acid reflux find it strikes the worst in the morning after a night of sleeping on a flat or nearly flat surface. Using extra pillows or a blanket stuffed under your pillow will raise your sleeping incline and allows gravity to help suppress stomach acid and keep it away from your esophagus.

• Keep a food journal. Every stomach is different, and acid reflux “triggers” vary from person to person. Some people are triggered by milk, others by chocolate, and others by garlic or onions. While there are common triggers, each individual person must start by eliminating his or her own individual triggers. By keeping track of what is eaten and when acid reflux strikes, a sufferer can find the common dietary or lifestyle factors that trigger his or her unique case of acid reflux.

If acid reflux is interfering with your summer fun, please contact any of the five gastroenterologists at New York Gastroenterology Associates (NYGA), who are all renowned for their ongoing research endeavors and contributions to the medical field. NYGA provides personal concierge-level service, easy scheduling and has two convenient office locations — at 311 East 79th Street and at Two Overhill Road in Scarsdale, NY. To schedule an appointment, call 212-996-6633, www.nyga.md.