Most people experience heartburn at one point or another in their lives. It disturbs the sleep of many unfortunate sufferers. You might think, then, that the question “what does heartburn feel like?” is a simple one. It can be misleading, however. Heartburn is typically felt as a burning sensation in the chest. It can also burn in the throat as well. While it feels like it is in the chest, heartburn has actually nothing to do with heart health. It is actually the esophagus, the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach, that’s filling with acid and causing that pain. It usually hurts in the area near the heart, however, so that leads to confusion.
The problem with heartburn is that other, more serious problems feel just like it. Many diseases actually involved with the heart hurt in similar ways. Heart attacks and angina can feel similar as well. If your family has a history with heart disease, it may be wise to play it safe. If you have a history, you better be very careful not to dismiss pain as heartburn.
If you typically have problems with heartburn, and nothing feels different than any other type of heartburn, you might be safe to continue to think that is what it is after first getting your doctor’s diagnosis. If you are confident enough that what you have is simply just a little burn, there are ways you can treat the symptoms.
If you are trying to sleep, try to prop you body up so it’s not lying flat. This may help keep the acid in the stomach. Some say that water helps to dull the pain; you may want to try drinking a couple of glasses of water if you haven’t tried this before. The problem with this is that you don’t want to drink a lot of water right before going to bed.
If you feel the need to medicate it, you can try your own solution of baking soda and water (unless you are watching your salt intake for health reasons such as hypertension, pregnancy or nursing). You can also try antacids that are sold in myriads of brands and colors. They often work, but reportedly not for long. Other medications slow the stomach’s production of its acid, but these are said to take a longer time to workâbut they may last for a longer period of time.
If you are having continuous problems, you might want to make an appointment with the doctor. Any serious disease should be treated in consultation with a professional doctor. The reason why you should see a doctor for heartburn is that it could be more serious than you initially believed and heartburn could lead to other things over time, like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
If you are questioning what does heartburn feel like, realize that you are not alone. Millions of people suffer from heartburn. Just make sure you don’t dismiss chest pain if you or your family has a history of heart disease. If you ever have serious concerns, the best thing to do is to consult a doctor and discover the path to a more pain-free life.
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