Acidity – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Remedies
What is Acidity?
The food you eat passes via your food pipe, also known as the oesophagus, and into your stomach. Acid protects the gastric glands in your stomach, which are necessary for food digestion.
A burning sensation under your breastbone occurs when your gastric glands produce too much acid for the digestive process. This is referred to as acidity.
Heartburn, which you can feel in your lower chest area, is a sign of acidity. When your stomach acid backs up into your food pipe, it causes this ailment.
While most people experience discomfort, they are unaware that their bad lifestyle choices are the cause of their acidity problem.
Acidity is often confused with other chest-related issues that can be dangerous. You must consult your gastroenterologist if your acidity symptoms are persistent even after taking medicines.
Causes of Acidity
Some of the factors that cause acidity include:
Unhealthy eating habits
- Skipping meals or eating at different times
- Sleeping immediately after eating
- Eating too much
- Spicy food
- Consuming too much table salt
- Diet low in fiber
- Excessive consumption of some food
- Drinks such as coffee, tea, carbonated and soft drinks
- Eating extremely spicy food
- Fat containing food like pizza, doughnuts, and fried food
Side-effects of Medications
- Acidity could also be a side effect of medicines such as:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines
- High blood pressure medications
- Antibiotics
- Depression medication
- Stomach disorders such as tumors, peptic ulcers, etc.
Other causes
- Consumption of non-vegetarian food
- Too much stress
- Less sleep
- Consistent smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Overconsumption of alcohol
You are more prone to acidity if you have medical disorders like diabetes, asthma, or connective tissue disorder. Acidity might also be a concern if you’re overweight, pregnant or approaching menopause.
Acidity Symptoms
Acidity symptoms are different in different people. While the most common acidity symptoms are chest pain and burning feeling under the breastbone; there are some other not-so-common symptoms as well.
Acidity symptoms include:
- Burning feeling and pain in your stomach
- Pain in your throat along with a burning sensation
- Difficulty swallowing
- Continuous burping or hiccups for no reason
- Regurgitation: bitter-taste acid that moves back up into your throat and mouth
- Heaviness after meals
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Indigestion
- Restlessness
- Bad breath
Acidity Treatment
When you visit your doctor, they will determine whether your symptoms are acidity or some other problem. Based on your condition and the level of your acidity problem: Your doctor will prescribe an antacid that contains calcium, aluminium or magnesium.
Your doctor might recommend histamine blocking agents such as cimetidine, nizatidine, and ranitidine.
If your acidity condition is severe, your doctor might prescribe proton pump inhibitors. Also, your doctor will suggest to you some dietary and lifestyle tips that can be helpful for acidity.
Home Remedies for Acidity
Acidity is a common problem that many suffer from at least once in their life. Most of us usually want home remedies over medications.
Some of the home remedies for acidity include the following:
- Coconut water can soothe your stomach and your digestive system. Take at least 2 glasses per day.
- Watermelon juice is a great counter to acidity. You can drink a glass of watermelon juice with your breakfast.
- One glass of buttermilk after eating spicy food can help reduce uneasiness. Buttermilk contains lactic acid that normalizes the acidity in your stomach.
- You can either chew on a few basil leaves or boil them in water and drink.
- Drink a glass of lukewarm water after your meals.
- Add banana yogurt and cucumber to your diet. They can give quick relief from acidity.
- Sucking on a piece of clove can help to reduce acidity symptoms.
- Drink at least 2 liters of water every day.
Lifestyle habits can also add to your acidity problems. So, adopt these tips into your life:
- Losing weight
- Eat healthy food
- Maintaining regular eating times, end your dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime
- Have small regular meals
- Follow a low-carb diet
- Avoid food that leads to acidities such as citrus juice and raw onion
- Avoiding carbonated drinks and caffeine
- Avoid sleeping on your right side, when facing acidity
- Reduce or eliminate smoking and alcohol
- Keeping yourself physically active
- Start stress-relieving exercises
- Avoid medications that cause acidity
When the symptoms are mild, these home remedies can help in relieving the discomfort caused by acidity. You can also control acidity with a few lifestyle changes. But if your symptoms are severe, you might require immediate medical care.
Acidity is not a severe condition. However, chronic acidity can cause health problems that can damage your oesophagus.