Heartburn is often known as “acid reflux.” This is primarily termed acidity which gives rise to associated symptoms such as bloating and gastric disturbance. Well, the majority of us complain about heartburn, especially when eating outside food or spicy food. But, there are some people who might suffer from chronic acidity issues leading to acid reflux. There are many triggers for heartburn, especially in chronic cases. One such trigger which we are going to discuss is heartburn due to sleeping position. Let us get started on which is the best position to sleep if you have heartburn. 

Know how sleeping position can impact your heartburn

Did you know your sleeping position can have a major impact on heartburn? Typical heartburn occurs when the stomach acid or the acid mixture in the stomach becomes uncontrollable and flows back to the esophagus or the food pipe. At the bottom of the esophagus, there is a valve called the esophageal sphincter. This valve allows the food to reach the stomach and then automatically closes to keep stomach contents in order. This is the basic function of the esophagus and its sphincter. This is driven by the gravitational force of nature. 

However, in some cases, the oesophageal valve does not close properly causing the stomach contents to reflux into the food pipe called the esophagus. This causes acidity, and heartburn due to acid reflux. This is driven by anti-gravity effects. 

In such cases of anti-gravity effects, sleeping position can cause a major impact and trigger acidity or heartburn due to acid reflux. 

How is heartburn triggered? Risk factors or causes of heartburn 

There are many causative factors for heartburn which are as follows- 

• Aging- Loss of elasticity of the esophageal valve
• Stress may cause a major impact on the digestion process of the gut 
• Vitamin deficiencies such as Vitamin D3 and B12
• Weakened immunity 
• Weakened gut metabolism  
• Gastric disturbances like indigestion and constipation 
• Eating outside restaurant food that is high in salt and soda content 
• Eating spicy food 
• Lack of fiber in food 
• Reduced hydration levels due to lack of water 
• Sedentary lifestyle with no exercise 
• Addictions such as smoking and alcohol 
• Infections of the stomach and gut due to H. pylori 
• Weakened gut barrier- leaky gut syndrome and IBS 
• An autoimmune disorder like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis 
• Hormonal disturbance due to thyroid and diabetes 
• Hiatal hernia 
• Pregnancy-related issues
• Overweight individuals 
• Long-term medications like antihypertensives 
• Protein deficiency which leads to a lack of collagen synthesis in muscles 
• Dependant on antidepressants for a long time 
• Chronic health issues like cancer
• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy cancer treatment side effects

Which is the best sleeping position to prevent heartburn?

The best sleeping position to prevent heartburn is lying on the left can help reduce heartburn. Several studies have indicated that lying on the left can relieve acid reflux while lying on the back can trigger acid reflux and heartburn. Along with this, having a healthy diet with regular exercise and 8 hours of sound sleep is a must.