Acid reflux is a common condition that occurs when stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus. This can cause symptoms such as heartburn and a sour taste in the mouth.
To help alleviate these symptoms, it can be helpful to raise the head of your bed. This can help prevent stomach acid from flowing back into the esophagus while you sleep.
How to Raise the Head of a Bed for Acid Reflux?
You must know how to raise the head of your bed effectively to cure acid reflux and ensure your comfort.
Here are some steps you can take to raise the head of your bed:
- Use blocks or risers to elevate the legs of the bed at the head. You can purchase blocks or risers specifically designed for this purpose, or use sturdy objects like books or bricks. Place the blocks or risers under the legs at the head of the bed, making sure they are evenly spaced and stable.
- Use a wedge-shaped pillow to elevate your upper body. Wedge pillows are designed to prop up the upper body at an angle, which can help prevent stomach acid from flowing back into the esophagus. You can place the wedge pillow under your mattress or use it on top of your regular pillows.
- Adjust the incline of your adjustable bed frame. If you have an adjustable bed frame, you can use the remote control to raise the head of the bed to a comfortable angle. This can provide relief from acid reflux symptoms while you sleep.
- Sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left side can help reduce acid reflux symptoms, as it can prevent stomach acid from flowing back into the esophagus.
5 Ways to Efficiently Raise Your Bed Head.
Choose the correct material.
You must be careful while choosing the material for raising the head of the bed. Whatever material you choose, ensure it maintains the proper height and does not cause discomfort.
You can choose a good pillow to sleep on or use a bed riser. Despite those, bricks, cement blocks, books, and wedge pillows are good options.
Ensure appropriate height for elevation.
The medically approved height to cure acid reflux while lying is 15 to 20 centimeters. So you must measure the appropriate height while elevating your bed head.
But if the height is more, there is no harm, but it should not be less than 15 cm. A wedge pillow can maintain the height but causes neck pain. Instead, you can invest in a memory foam pillow.
Elevate your shoulder bones.
The joint between your stomach and your gullet is beneath the shoulder bones. So, to get better results from bed head raise, you must elevate your shoulder bones. Lifting the shoulder bones will help prevent acid reflux, relieve neck pain, and make you sleep comfortably.
Don’t stack pillows to elevate the shoulder.
Many people stack several pillows to raise the upper torso. Stacking pillows do not create a proper posture. Thus, it will not cure acid reflux; it will hurt your neck and shoulder.
Avoid using a regular pillow for sleeping as it can create pressure on the abdomen and cause more acidity. Instead, you can use a memory pillow to ensure great posture, prevent neck pain, and help with acid reflux.
Know why elevating the bed head is effective for curing acid reflux.
When you know the reason behind elevating the bed head to relieve acid reflux, you can raise the head of the bed ideally and supervise the effectiveness.
Since gravitation does not resist acid reflux as it does in a vertical posture, acid reflux is highly prevalent when lying flat.
Due to gravity’s decreased impact, the acid components of your food can readily reach your throat and remain there for a prolonged time. Bead head ascent significantly lessens the number of acidic fluids that come into contact with the feeding tunnel’s membrane. Furthermore, it lessens the patients’ sleep disturbance.
How to Prevent Acid Reflux?
Stay away from rich food.
Rich foods are one of the common reasons for acid reflux. Rich food and other junk food remain in your stomach for longer and are usually hefty and hard for digestion. Acid reflux is induced by the more extended presence and heavier substance in the stomach.
Chocolates badly cause acid reflux since they are enriched with caffeine and fat. Additionally, it contains too much cocoa bean, which increases acid formation in the stomach and creates acid reflux. However, onion, garlic, ketchup, deep-fried food, alcohol, etc., can induce acid reflux.
Avoid eating before going to sleep.
Avoid eating before going to bed. Alternatively, it could all be for nothing. Have a clear stomach before going to bed. Eat at least four hours before bedtime and prevent drinking three hours before bedtime. Not following these timings can be the reason for frequent acid refluxes.
Don’t lie down immediately after eating. After having dinner, walk around a little bit, do some light exercise, and go to bed after three hours. Thus your stomach will digest the meal by that time.
Don’t drink coffee and citrus fruits at night.
You should stop having coffee every day. The caffeine present in coffee gives people energy. Additionally, this caffeine stimulates the stomach’s release of acid. The acidity makes it simpler for stomach fluids to move backward.
Despite caffeine, Ascorbic acid causes acid reflux by increasing the stomach’s acid to a higher level. To control the amount of acid production in your stomach, you must reduce having caffeinated drinks. And also, prevent eating citrus fruits or juice like lemon, orange, etc.
Chew bubblegum.
Chewing bubblegum stimulates salivation more than usual. Salivation naturally prevents acid reflux. Always carry a pack of gums with you in case of emergency if you are going to eat something.
But do not pick minty bubblegums. The mint flavor slightly stretches the muscular arches and boosts stomach acid flow. Thus, mint causes acid reflux.
Wear comfortable clothes in bed.
Your stomach is compressed when you wear tight-fitted garments. Acid reflux is caused by the additional abdominal pressure that causes stomach acid to enter your throat.
Avoid wearing tight garments at night. Do not wear undergarments while sleeping. If you have had a heavy meal and wear tight clothes and underwear, it will increase the acid flow and make the condition terrible.
Monitor your weight.
Obese people are more prone to acid reflux because the extra belly fat strains their stomach, and the stomach faces additional pressure. The additional pressure pushes back the stomach acid to the gullet causing acid reflux.
It would be best if you lost weight to prevent acid reflux. Avoid overeating, maintain an eating timetable, and work out daily to keep a balanced weight.
Stay physically active.
Staying physically active will reduce acid reflux problems by relieving the tension in the abdomen. It is imperative to exercise for half an hour every day. If you can’t exercise for thirty minutes straight, you can break the exercising time into ten minutes for three sets.
Walking daily for half an hour will speed up fat loss. If you don’t find walking very interesting, you can engage in other activities such as gardening, cycling, swimming, etc. You can go to the gym or work out at home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS).
How do I elevate the head of my bed?
There are a few ways to elevate the head of your bed. Such as inserting a foam wedge between the mattress or box spring, using an adjustable bed base, stacking pillows underneath your upper torso, etc.
How high should a wedge pillow be for acid reflux?
Acid reflux patients should elevate the head of the bead to an angle from 35 to 45 degrees, and the height should be from 8 to 10 inches above the bed surface.
Does staying hydrated prevent acid reflux?
Staying hydrated can prevent acid reflux. Drinking water now and then helps clear the acid from your gullet. Health experts say drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water benefits your health.
What should I drink in the morning to reduce acid reflux?
Green tea, fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh juice, dairy-free milk like almond or soy milk, etc., can cure acid reflux. Avoid having citrus fruits, soda, and caffeinated drinks to prevent acid reflux.
Is memory foam good for acid reflux?
The material of a regular mattress cannot hold the angle or the height of the raised head of the bed. To retain the height and angle, you can use memory foam, hybrid foam, and latex mattresses.
Conclusion.
Acid reflux is a common functional disorder in the human body. Acid reflux could occur because of many things, such as unhealthy eating habits, overeating, being overweight, lack of sleep, etc. Raising the head of the bed is an instant solution to acid reflux when you can’t contact a doctor urgently.
But to cure acid reflux, you must know the proper methods of raising the head of the bed. The methods include using the right tools, maintaining the correct height and angle, raising the shoulder bones, not stacking regular pillows, researching acid reflux, etc.
Auntara has always enjoyed writing, even as a little child. She has expertise in writing on a variety of subjects, including interior design, gardening, and property and house design.
