What is Acidity - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
What is Acidity?
Scientifically, acidity is known as acid reflux. This is a phenomenon that is caused when the acid in the stomach goes to the oesophagus,
in the reverse direction. When this happens, the concerned individual
experiences a burning sensation anywhere in between their stomach and throat
Symptoms of Acidity
- Coughing
- Hiccups
- Sore throat/hoarse voice
- Bad breath
- Bloating
- Feeling sick
- Vomiting
The above symptoms are the worse especially after a meal, or
when a person is in a bending position. Acidity is neither severe nor serious,
and people tend to experience slight symptoms every now and then. However, GERD
(Gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a kind of acidity that is both severe and
chronic in nature.
Causes of Acidity
1) Weight
Weight gain means increased size
of the stomach. An increased stomach means that it is heavier and has more fat
stored within it. This increase amount of fat in the stomach can increase the
pressure on the stomach, which may force the stomach to push the acidic content
stored in it, back into the oesophagus, which results in acidity.
2) Pregnancy
Pregnancy causes a lot of
hormonal changes in a woman’s body. These changes also affect the oesophageal
sphincter, which is present at the top of the stomach. This sphincter prevents
the semi-digested and undigested food from leaving the stomach. During
pregnancy, due to the presence of progesterone in large amounts in the body,
the sphincter relaxes a bit, which can in turn acidity.
3) Smoking
Like in the case of pregnancy,
the nicotine present in tobacco affects the oesophagus sphincter, which causes
acidity in an individual.
4) Diet
The food we eat on a daily basis is highly instrumental to our health. When we consume food that has acid-forming capabilities, it lowers the pH levels in our bodies, which causes acidity. When this occurs, it is very important to avoid caffeinated, spicy, fatty, and highly processed foods, like coffee, alcohol, cola, and chocolate.
5) Stress/Anxiety
While there is no strong evidence
to backup the fact that stress and anxiety can cause acidity, several studies
have in fact shown that stress and anxiety can impact the brain in such a way
that it hypersensitizes its pain receptors. This tends to cause acidity.
6) Medication
It is commonly known that any
type of medicine can have some sort of side effects. This is especially true
for some pain killers, such as Ibuprofen, which have been known to cause or
increase acidity.
Treatment
1) Weight loss
As stated earlier, weight gain,
or obesity in particular, can cause acidity due to the presence of higher fat
content in the stomach. To help prevent developing acidity in the first place,
it is important to keep yourself fit by exercising regularly, and by reducing
the intake of fatty, deep-fried and other unhealthy foods.
2) Sleep Cycle
It is often said that there
should be a good amount of gap between your last meal and the time your sleep.
A gap of 2-3 hours in between having your meals and sleeping is especially
mandatory so that the food you eat is properly digested. The angle at which
you sleep is also highly important. It is suggestable to increase the height of
the head of your mattress by at least 10-20 cm, for improved digestion and
better sleep.
3) Proper Diet
As mentioned earlier, a proper
diet is highly important for good health. If acidity is a problem that
constantly keeps recurring for you, then it is essential to visit a
nutritionist at the earliest. This will help you identify the problem, which would
prevent the problem from resurfacing. As foods play an important role in
developing and controlling acidity, a nutritionist will be able to guide you
accordingly.
4) Medicinal Treatment
Acidity has many solutions in the
form of easy medication, that can be found in general stores, just over the
counter. However, this may not be able to help you in the long run. As such, it
is better to visit a doctor and get a solution that will help you in the long
run.
Acidity can also be treated or prevented by consuming foods that help with reducing acidity and improving our digestion.
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