How to Sleep on the Stomach With Reflux

Sleeping on the stomach is not a healthy habit. It can strain the neck and spine as well as aggravate acid reflux symptoms, such as chest pain, coughing, choking, heartburn and regurgitation. For stomach sleepers, the best way to prevent or decrease nighttime acid reflux is to change your sleep position to either side or back sleeping. Yet, most stomach sleepers often find that extremely challenging to do. If a new sleep posture is too hard to adopt, there are a few other things you can do to battle acid reflux at night.

Instructions

• 1

  Don't hurry to bed so soon after dinner. Allow at least 3 hours for your food to digest properly and to let gravity help drain the food down your digestive tract. A late-night snack is also a no-no. Burping undigested food up your throat while sleeping is one of the worst reflux experiences.

• 2

  Avoid a large meal and reflux-provoking foods at dinner time. These foods include garlic, onion, spicy food, greasy stir-fry dishes, chocolate, tomato-based sauces, dairy products, caffeinated drinks and alcohol. Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, are also something to avoid in the evening. Although they are full of vitamins, they tend to trigger acid reflux at night.

• 3

  Wear loose-fitting clothes when you sleep. You don't want your stomach to feel "squeezed." Throw away those pajama pants with tight elastic waistbands, and opt for more comfortable drawstring pants instead.

• 4

  Choose your mattress wisely. A very firm mattress is not suitable for stomach sleepers, as it can create abdominal pressure and accordingly worsen acid reflux problems. Ideally, stomach sleepers should choose a mattress that is soft enough to conform to any body shape. However, it should not lack density or make you feel as if you were sleeping on a hammock because that will be unhealthy for your spine.

• 5

  Elevate your head and chest slightly when you sleep. This positioning, together with gravity, can stop the body from sending the acid and stomach contents back up. If you love convenience and have enough in your budget, you may buy an electrical adjustable bed. If not, you can try putting a small block beneath the head of the mattress. Sleeping on a wedge pillow (sloped pillow) can lessen reflux problems as well. Keep in mind that simply placing your head on a thick pillow will not help. Both your head and upper torso must be elevated. Another important concern is that stomach sleepers tend to strain the back and neck while sleeping. So make sure you don't adjust the head of your mattress up too high, and don't buy a wedge pillow that is too sloped.