What Is GERD?

Important

Chest pain may also be caused by heart problems. Be sure to have all chest pain checked by a health care provider.

When you have a reflux problem

After you eat, food travels from your mouth down the esophagus to your stomach. Along the way, food passes through a one-way valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES sits at the opening to your stomach. Normally the LES opens when you swallow. It lets food enter the stomach, then closes quickly. With GERD, the LES doesn’t work normally. It lets food and stomach acid flow back (reflux) into the esophagus. This creates the burning sensation.

Some common symptoms

Common symptoms of GERD include:

• Frequent heartburn.

• Frequent burping.

• Sour- or acid-tasting fluid backing up into your mouth.

• Symptoms that get worse after you eat, bend over, or lie down.

• Trouble swallowing or pain when swallowing.

• A dry, long-term (chronic) cough, hoarseness.

• Upset stomach (nausea). Nausea and vomiting may be a sign of something else, so be sure to discuss with your health care provider.

Relieving your discomfort

You and your health care provider can work together to find the treatment choices to best ease your symptoms. These may include lifestyle changes, medicine, or possibly surgery.

Many people find their GERD symptoms decrease when they eat small frequent meals instead of 3 large ones. Reducing the amount of fatty, spicy, and acidic foods in your diet will also help. 

Foods that tend to cause problems for people diagnosed with GERD include:

• Tomatoes and tomato products.

• Alcohol.

• Coffee.

• Peppermint.

• Greasy or spicy foods.

• Acidic foods, such as citrus.

To ease your symptoms, raise the head of your bed 4 to 6 inches. Don't eat anything within 2 to 3 hours of lying down.

If you are at a higher weight, losing weight will often ease GERD symptoms.

Stopping smoking may also help alleviate GERD symptoms.

Talk with your provider if you don’t understand how to make the dietary changes needed to control your GERD symptoms. Your provider can refer you to a nutritionist or recommend certain medicines to reduce the acid buildup.