Coffee is a drink that can actually cause heartburn. This happens for various reasons, but it is usually associated with problems with the gastrointestinal tract. It happens that the causes of heartburn are psychological: neuroses or constant insomnia.
Why coffee can cause heartburn
Coffee itself has a slightly increased acidity, in addition, it contributes to irritation of the gastric mucosa. Due to this, the secretion of hydrochloric acid begins to occur with greater intensity, which leads to heartburn.
Additionally, coffee relaxes the sphincter muscles, of which there are several along the route of food in the human body. The function of the sphincter muscles is that solid and liquid food, passing forward, would not have the opportunity to return back. If the muscles relax, then hydrochloric acid from the stomach enters the esophagus, which is the cause of irritation, which is called heartburn.
If you are constantly suffering from heartburn after drinking coffee, you can try drinking it with milk, as it softens the effect of the drink, which helps prevent heartburn. If this does not help, all that remains is to switch to other drinks, for example, green tea.
How does heartburn occur?
Strictly speaking, any food can cause heartburn, but some foods do it more often and easier. Heartburn occurs if the sphincter of the stomach does not cope with its duties. This is usually due to excess gastric acid, but other causes are also possible. For example, if the pressure in the abdominal cavity rises too much (this happens when a person has overeat or drank too much liquid), when the person's clothes are too tight, or when lifting weights immediately after eating. Other reasons of this kind are also possible.
If you have frequent heartburn attacks, this is a serious reason to see a doctor. It happens that it is enough to exclude some foods from the diet, and the condition of the stomach is normalized. Sometimes heartburn also serves as a signal that a person is developing some kind of gastrointestinal disease. This is best identified at a very early stage, when everything is fairly easy to fix.
How to prevent heartburn
Despite the abundance of medications that help to cope with heartburn, it is better not to overuse them. Try changing your lifestyle instead. Do not pass in any way, avoid eating before bed. Chew food thoroughly so that it enters the body as slowly as possible.
You can drink decoctions from plants such as bitter wormwood and other bitter herbs, use gentian root. Ginger helps well in the fight against heartburn, which helps to get rid of excess gastric juice.
