Many individuals experience occasional heartburn or a burning sensation in the chest and throat, often followed by regurgitation of acid. These symptoms could be symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
GERD is a chronic health issue requiring medical intervention. Treatment options may include lifestyle modifications, antacids and acid-blocking medication.
Eat Smaller Meals
An essential step toward combatting acid reflux in your throat is eating smaller meals throughout the day. This will enable your stomach to digest food more quickly while not irritating the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
Start a food diary to track everything you eat and when. This will allow you to pinpoint which foods trigger episodes for you and which won’t.
Some people find that switching their diet up by opting for fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins helps alleviate acid reflux symptoms. Others might benefit from changing their cooking methods to ones like grilling, sauteing or roasting instead of frying.
An effective strategy to help avoid heartburn is eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly, rather than eating quickly, which places added strain on the stomach and esophagus and may worsen symptoms.
Limiting large meals may also help to relieve symptoms. Large meals produce more acid, take longer to digest, and place extra strain on the LES which in turn leads to heartburn symptoms.
Dr. Sonpal recommends eating your last meal two hours prior to going to bed as the LES can become less effective at keeping stomach contents from entering your esophagus when lying down.
Other things you can do to soothe symptoms include raising your bed, wearing loose clothing and delaying lying down after meals, sleeping in a chair during daytime naps, and increasing exercise routine. Doing these things may reduce their severity.
Acid reflux symptoms may be brought on by any number of things, including smoking, stress, medications and lifestyle factors. Diet can often help alleviate or prevent acid reflux symptoms; so try out various diet plans until you find one that suits your body best.
Gargle With Salt Water
Acid reflux occurs when fluids and digestive juices from your stomach rise up into your esophagus and throat, often leading to sore throat symptoms. It can be caused by factors that place pressure, loosen or weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscular valve between esophagus and stomach.
Salt water gargles may help relieve acid reflux in the throat by decreasing inflammation and swelling in both neck and throat areas, and killing some bacteria present.
The American Dental Association (ADA) suggests mixing half a teaspoon of salt with 8 ounces of warm water as the optimal way to create a hypertonic solution that draws moisture out of your throat, thus helping lubricate it and alleviate inflammation.
Gargling for several seconds multiple times each day without swallowing can bring maximum benefits, especially if your sore throat has been caused by cold, flu or an infection such as Strep.
Gargle with a mixture of licorice root and warm water. Licorice has anti-pain properties which may also reduce congestion while strengthening immunity against respiratory viruses.
Other natural ingredients you should incorporate into your daily gargling regimen include echinacea, turmeric and honey. Depending on the cause of your sore throat, apple cider vinegar mixed with salt water might help relieve symptoms; or tea is an excellent way to combat inflammation while relieving acid reflux symptoms.
Gargling with a mixture of baking soda and salt water may help relieve throat swelling and irritation, reduce mucus production in your throat, and clear infections faster.
If you suffer from acid reflux, your physician may suggest medications to alleviate it and relieve discomfort while also protecting against further damage to your throat and body. This could help avoid future issues that could worsen over time.
Drink Warm Beverages
If you suffer from acid reflux in your throat, there are various remedies you can try in order to alleviate its symptoms. One effective strategy for doing so is drinking warm beverages.
Warm beverages may help soothe acid reflux symptoms while keeping you hydrated at the same time, helping you relax and lessen their severity.
The key is choosing a beverage that doesn’t exacerbate your condition. Alcohol, for instance, may increase heartburn severity while relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter valve which allows stomach acid backflow into the esophagus.
Coconut water can also help ease acid reflux by providing essential potassium and electrolytes that may relieve your symptoms of acid reflux.
Water is also beneficial in terms of hydrating your body and aiding in digestion, making it an excellent choice to drink after each meal as it helps balance pH levels in your stomach and may reduce any associated discomfort.
But make sure that you select low-fat or fat-free milks, as full-fat dairy products can exacerbate acid reflux symptoms.
Drink herbal teas to ease your symptoms, especially Licorice Root Tea which has been found to effectively improve mucus coating in your esophagus and thus, acid reflux.
Fruits and vegetables can also help when it comes to relieving acid reflux in throat. Bananas and melons contain magnesium which can help neutralize stomach acid. Citrus fruits are highly recommended as they contain high doses of Vitamin C along with protective antioxidants to shield your esophagus against further damage.
Consider adding honey to your beverages for its many health benefits, which may help fight free radicals in your body that cause inflammation or damage your esophagus, thin mucus accumulation in both esophagus and airways, which reduce the severity of reflux symptoms, or help thin mucus production from glandular structures such as larynx.
Avoid Smoking
Acid reflux occurs when acid from your stomach comes back up into your throat and causes heartburn as well as other symptoms, including sore throat or hoarseness.
Nicotine, found in tobacco, relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), making it less effective at keeping stomach acid out of your esophagus and away from causing heartburn and acid reflux (GERD). When this occurs, acid reflux reenters the body via the LES which leaves smokers susceptible to more episodes of GERD than others.
Nicotine also decreases saliva’s acid-neutralizing abilities, leaving your esophageal lining vulnerable to irritation and inflammation – something which aggravates GERD further.
Avoid situations in which smoking may tempt you. For instance, if smoking while driving or dining out is something you frequently do, shift your schedule so that less time is spent sitting behind the wheel or dining at restaurants.
Keep a bottle of water or another beverage handy so that when the urge for smoking arises, an option will always be waiting. Sugar-free gum, mints or nuts could also serve as healthy replacements so when cravings strike they have something healthy waiting.
If you’re having difficulty quitting smoking, speak to your physician about treatments that might help. He or she may suggest medication to decrease cravings or techniques that will ease withdrawal symptoms.
Stop-smoking programs or attending them with family or friends is another effective option to combat nicotine dependency. Trained coaches will guide you through every step, offering tips to avoid relapse.
Informing those you’re trying to quit may also help as this will allow them to avoid offering you cigarettes when you’re together. Although it can be challenging to stay smokefree around people who smoke, giving up can still be done!
Stop smoking: the key to eliminating acid reflux in your throat
Your first step should be taking the first steps today to reduce smoking habit – it will amaze you how much better you’ll feel after just weeks!
