What's the best sleep position to combat heartburn?
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- Reviewed by Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
It's hard to fall asleep at night when heartburn is your frequent bed partner. How can you give it the boot? In addition to elevating your upper body with a wedge pillow, avoiding meals close to bedtime, and taking heartburn medications, a small study suggests that sleeping on your left side may help. The findings were published in the February 2022 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology. A total of 57 people with chronic heartburn were monitored during sleep, spending about the same amount of time on their left side, right side, or back. The positions didn't make a difference in the number of times participants experienced stomach acid backing up into the esophagus (which causes heartburn pain). But the acid cleared much faster when participants were on their left side, as opposed to their back or right side. Less exposure to acid can reduce heartburn pain and also reduce the risk of tissue damage and more serious problems.
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About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
About the Reviewer
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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