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How Can I Prevent It?

Lifestyle changes sometimes prevent symptoms of GERD. Because fatty foods, mints, chocolates, alcohol, nicotine and caffeinated beverages such as coffee or colas relax the LES, you may be able to reduce the amount of acid reflux you experience by avoiding these foods. Carbonated drinks, citrus fruits and juices, spicy foods and tomato sauce may irritate the lining of your esophagus and make the effects of GERD more severe. Cutting these foods from your diet could reduce the severity of the symptoms.

You may help reduce reflux by quitting smoking, wearing loose clothing, eating smaller meals, not lying down for at least three hours after you eat and losing weight if you are overweight. Some people are able to prevent symptoms at night by raising the head of their bed with six-inch blocks or by sleeping on a special wedge-shaped pillow that elevates the upper part of the body.