Heartburn refers to the condition wherein stomach acids rise or back up to the esophagus. The stomach acids irritate the esophageal wall and cause pain in the chest area. This is the reason why most people use the term heartburn to refer to this condition.
The incidence of heartburn among people is alarming. This disease is fast becoming a very common disorder because of people’s unhealthy lifestyle habits. You are probably thinking about the reason for such phenomenon. Here are some of the risk factors for heartburn.
1. Stressful lifestyle – If you work from nine to five and have to juggle a full time job with another extra job, a family and lots of other matters all a the same time, you are probably leading a stressful life. Stress is an integral and important part of life. We need it in order to have the necessary vigor that we need to carry on our daily activities. However, too much stress could be truly harmful to the body. When the body is at stress, the stomach also produces more acids, making you more prone to develop heartburn and other gastrointestinal diseases.
2. Irregular eating habits – Heartburn risk factors also include irregular eating habits. The stomach produces acid in anticipation of food to aid in the digestion process. When you tend to skip meals or eat out of schedule, your body produces acid that are not needed. This could accumulate and back up to the esophagus and cause heartburn.
3. Pregnancy – Pregnant women often experience heartburn because of the rise in the hormone progesterone. This hormone can loosen up the valve or sphincter that prevents stomach acids from going to the esophagus. Hence, pregnant women have a bulging uterus that tends to press the stomach contents up to the esophagus, leading to heartburn symptoms.
4. Eating heartburn inducing food – Certain food like coffee, alcohol, chocolates, fatty, spicy and fried foods can trigger heartburn. If you are fond of eating this stuff, then you are more prone to develop heartburn.
These are just some of the factors that could lead to heartburn. Knowing the risk factors would make us more aware of our possibility of getting this disorder and making the necessary changes to avoid it.
