Acid Reflux During Sleep? (pain, my throat, hernia, doctor)

[Forever Blue]

I never got it while I was awake, but during the past 2 or 3 mos, I notice that if I wake up in my sleep, I have to gargle with water & drink water because that acid is in my throat!

I'm worried because it seems like while I'm sleeping, that acid is sitting there in my throat (slowly breaking down the lining of my throat) & then it eventually wakes me up sometimes. I do NOT wake up in the night every night though. When I regularly wake up in the mornings, I don't have this acid taste in my throat.

What causes this & what can I do about this? I don't want to have to start taking any OTC meds if I don't have to. Any home remedies, etc.?

[wit-nit]

Take a bromo-seltzer or Pepcid before bedtime, that will calm everything down the quickest. Don't know any home remedies.

[asiandudeyo]

I am not a doctor so this is only my opinion.

1. Try not to eat 2 hours prior to sleeping.
2. Make a diary as what food gives you acid reflux - if any. And try not to eat those food especially at night (AND especially NOT 2 hours prior to sleeping).
3. Get one of those wedge pillows which will elevate your body a little bit as you lay. Gravity will help to force the gastric acid to stay low. YOu can get one in Bed, Bath and Beyond.
4. Get a proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec (OTC). Bear in mind, that you cannot use it more than 14 days. There is a chance it will attack your bones and make them brittle eventually as you enter your older years.
Consult with your doctor!

And please go to see the doctor!

[AZgarden]

See a gastroenterologist and have an endoscopy done to see how much damage this acid has done. I had acid that I didn't know about and ended up with Barretts esophagas, which is a pre cancer condition. Acid reflux can be very serious and you need a professional opinion, not one from CD forum.

[tickyul]

DO you eat close to bedtime....that may be the cause???

I have the same problem.....mine is caused by a Hiatal Hernia.

I have quite a few different things that I take.....calcium tablets (Tums....no-no, the artificial sweetener in it makes me blow up like a balloon) are one that works great.

[rmissourimule]

I vote for the endoscopy myself. I had a pre cancerous condition called Barrett's Esophagus a few years ago where I was not able to swallow properly and nearly choked in a restaurant. I take a protein pump inhibitor (they're all about the same) every morning. Last endoscopy showed the cells had returned to a normal pink color. No cancer. Not something to be taken lightly. Get on top of it, now.

The endoscopy is relatively pain free. You are in a twilight zone and it is quickly over. You can also combine the endoscopy with the colonscopy so you "kill two birds with one stone" so to speak. There is some danger with the latter especially in older patients so it is well to ask questions. I'm not aware the endoscopy carries any risks worth mentioning. I'm just glad I nipped it in the bud early on.

I would not rely on anti-acids of the over the counter type. That only masks the symptoms and does not cure it. I would see a good doctor who knows his business and find out for sure.

[Forever Blue]

[SIZE=3][SIZE=3]I appreciate your input everyone!

Now the thing most of you said about eating late, I never ate late at all. When most people have dinner at 6:30/7:00, I eat at 4 something usually. I never drank coffee either, like I've been told may cause this condition too.

Elevating the head sounds logical. I'll do that. Now, I admit, I could have a better diet & I've started drinking light-colored soda in the last 2 yrs. I love cherry 7Up! I'm cutting down on that again.[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]

[old_cold]

Don't just elevate your head....elevate from the waist up.
You can try a tbs of vinegar to see if it helps.
Move up to something like Prilosec and if it works, do see a doctor to find out if it's GERD so you can find out what you may need to do on a steady basis.

[don1945]

I occasionally have that problem, but I can usually trace it to doing something like eating chili before bedtime. Man, it is a horrible feeling and taste when that happens, and I get up and drink some milk to neutralize the acid taste. I find that sleeping on two pillows helps by elevating my head somewhat.

Don

[Mistermobile]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

I never got it while I was awake, but during the past 2 or 3 mos, I notice that if I wake up in my sleep, I have to gargle with water & drink water because that acid is in my throat!

I'm worried because it seems like while I'm sleeping, that acid is sitting there in my throat (slowly breaking down the lining of my throat) & then it eventually wakes me up sometimes. I do NOT wake up in the night every night though. When I regularly wake up in the mornings, I don't have this acid taste in my throat.

What causes this & what can I do about this? I don't want to have to start taking any OTC meds if I don't have to. Any home remedies, etc.?

Wake up unable to breathe and choking because you have aspirated stomach acid into your lungs, that's acid reflux.

Don't eat after 3:00 PM, and stay active.