Heartburn occurs when you feel a painful, burning sensation rising towards your throat from your stomach or your chest. The name heartburn is often misleading. Heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart. In this article, I will explain exactly what is heartburn and how to know whether you are suffering from it.
Ever felt a burning sensation up your throat after meals? Heartburn is often accompanied by excessive burping, sore throats and difficulty in swallowing. In some severe cases, you will feel pain in the chest. This burning sensation is caused by the acid in our stomachs that help us digest our food. Under normal circumstances, the food from our stomach is unable to move towards our throats due to a muscle known as the lower oesophageal sphincter. This muscle prevents food in our stomach from rising to our throats. However, when this muscle does not work normally, stomach acid that rises to our throats will cause a burning sensation.
Heartburn refers to the burning sensation down the throat that is caused by the acid from our stomach. The acid in our stomach is responsible for digesting the food that we eat. Due to the lack of a protective lining that is present in our stomachs, we will experience a painful, burning discomfort when the acid rises towards our throats.
Some people experience Heartburn frequently while others only experience it very occasionally. If you suffer from frequent heartburn, you might be suffering from Reflux. Heartburn is a common symptom for Reflux.
Thirty to forty percent of adults experience heartburn occasionally. However, ten percent of them experience heartburn every day. Severe heartburn can cause constant discomfort that in turn, causes inconvenience when leading your daily life.
Complications of frequent heartburn include inflammation of your oesophagus and in serious cases, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. There are different indirect causes to heartburn and reflux. If you are suffering from reflux or heartburn, you should read up on the possible causes and cures. In a nutshell, leading a healthier lifestyle and early discovery will aid you with the curing of frequent heartburn and reflux.
After reading this article, you should have a better understanding of what is heartburn. If you would like to stop your heartburn, read up more some of my other articles.
