It begins as a burning pain in your chest. Slowly, it creeps upwards to the neck. Often, there is a terrible sensation of food you just ate coming back to your mouth. This causes a sour or bitter taste to flood your mouth, waking your gag reflex.

Most of us have experienced this. If you have too, then you’re suffering from heartburn, also known as acid indigestion.

By definition, heartburn is a burning sensation in the upper or central part of the chest, behind the breastbone or sternum. This occurs because of the acids in your stomach backing up into the esophagus or food pipe.

What are the heartburn signs and symptoms?

There are several heartburn signs and symptoms:

• Acid reflux
  Acid reflux, also called acid regurgitation or gastroesophageal reflux (GER), occurs when acids in the stomach and other contents move backward to the esophagus. This is one of the most common heartburn sign and symptom.
• H. Pylori infection
  A spiral-shaped bacteria, H. pylori affects a large number of people. This bacteria that affects the digestive tract and attacks the lining of the stomach, causing several digestive complications like ulcers and heartburn.
• Hiatal hernia
  A hiatal hernia is a condition when a part of the stomach pushes its way into the diaphragm, and into the chest. This is another cause of heartburn.
• Heartburn during pregnancy
  Heartburn is a highly common condition that pregnant women face. During pregnancy, the level of progesterone hormones increases in the body, which causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. This causes heartburn, allowing stomach acids and contents to travel back into the esophagus.
• Obesity
  If you are overweight or obese, you are more prone to heartburn. Too much weight causes pressure in the abdomen, which causes acid reflux or heartburn.
• Sleeping or lying down after food
  Sleeping or lying down immediately after food can cause heartburn. When you sit down or stand up, gravity works for you and eases digestion. But when you lie down after a meal, it pushes the acidic contents of your stomach backward into your esophagus.

Other heartburn signs and symptoms:

The other heartburn signs and symptoms are listed below:

• Smoking
• Excessive consumption of caffeine
• Alcohol
• Excessive consumption of chocolate
• Being overweight or obese
• Lying down immediately after eating your food is one of the leading causes of heartburn.
• Eating foods that are too spicy
• Pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen cause trigger heartburn too.
• A feeling of nausea

Heartburn signs and symptoms to be aware of:

Heartburn signs and symptoms differ from person to person, but here are the few most common ones:

• It’s a burning sensation in the upper or central part of the chest, behind the breastbone or sternum, which is caused due to the acids in your stomach backing up into the esophagus or food pipe
• Chest pain, especially when you lie down, bend over, or eat.
• Burning sensation in the throat
• Sour, bitter, acidic or salty-tasting fluid that rushes back to the mouth or at the back of the throat
• Difficulty in swallowing
• An uncomfortable feeling of food stuck in the middle of the throat or chest.
• In some cases, heartburn can cause bouts of a cough, sore throat and hoarseness

Home remedies to treat heartburn:

Heartburn can be dealt with at home. Inexpensive and easily available, here are a few home remedies to treat heartburn:

• Baking soda
  Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is a common kitchen ingredient that is excellent in treating heartburn. Baking soda is a base, which means it neutralizes the acid in your stomach and esophagus. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water, and drink it for relief.
• Chew gum
  Like baking soda, chewing gum can help neutralize stomach acids too. When you chew gum, you release excess saliva. This washes away the acid and clears your stomach.
• Drink a lot of water
  Drink water to wash acids from your stomach. This is one of the best remedies to treat heartburn.
• Loosen your clothes
  If you’re wearing tight clothes, change into something loose. Tight clothes restrict your body. It makes the flow of food and acid difficult. Loosen your belt or change into something less tight.
• Avoid smoking
  Tobacco causes heartburn. So if you have an acid reflux, avoid lighting a cigarette since it only worsens the situation.
• Vegetable juices
  Make juice out of vegetables like carrots, beets, radishes, and cucumbers. The alkaline nature of these vegetables helps in neutralizing the acid in your stomach. Vegetable juices also detoxify your system, making you healthier and keeps you feeling fresh.

These are some of the best ways to ensure that you’re keeping your heartburn in check. This way, you can either reduce the impact of heartburn or eliminate it entirely.