At a glance
- If you are above a healthy weight, losing weight is the best-proven way to ease reflux.
- If reflux bothers you at night, raise the head of your bed with blocks or a wedge. Extra pillows don't do the same job.
- Finish eating 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
- If you smoke, stopping can ease reflux and helps your whole body.
- Only cut out a food if it clearly gives you heartburn. You don't need to avoid foods that don't bother you.
- If you need a PPI, take it 30 to 60 minutes before a meal. Once you feel better, ask about taking less or stopping.
- See a doctor soon if food gets stuck, you lose weight without trying, you keep vomiting, or you have low iron.
What is reflux?
Your stomach makes acid to help break down food. A ring of muscle at the bottom of your food pipe (esophagus) keeps the acid in your stomach. Reflux happens when acid flows back up into the food pipe.
Common signs are:
- Heartburn: a burning feeling behind your breastbone, often after meals or when you lie down
- Regurgitation: sour liquid or food coming back up into your throat or mouth
Most people have reflux now and then. When it happens often or causes harm, doctors call it GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
What helps most?
Start with the steps that fit your life. You don’t have to do them all.
| Step | How to do it |
|---|---|
| Lose weight, if you are above a healthy weight | This has the strongest proof. Ask your doctor or a dietitian for support. |
| Raise the head of your bed (for night-time reflux) | Put sturdy blocks under the legs at the head end of the bed, or sleep on a foam wedge. |
| Don’t eat late | Finish your last meal or snack 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. |
| Stop smoking | Ask your doctor or pharmacist about help to quit. |
Extra pillows only lift your head. Raising the bed or using a wedge lifts your whole upper body, which is what helps. Lying on your right side can make night-time reflux worse, so you may want to sleep on your left side.
Do I need to stop eating certain foods?
Only if they bother you. Coffee, alcohol, chocolate, mint, spicy or fatty foods, and citrus give some people heartburn, but not everyone. You don’t need to cut out lots of foods “just in case.”
A simple way to find your own triggers:
For two weeks
Keep a food diary
Write down what you eat and when you get heartburn.Then
Look for a pattern
Look for a food that shows up before most of your heartburn.For a couple of weeks
Test one food
Leave out that one food and see if it helps.
If you are cutting out many foods, ask to see a dietitian.
What about medicines?
- Antacids (such as Tums) and alginates (such as Gaviscon) help with heartburn now and then.
- H2 blockers such as famotidine (Pepcid AC) lower acid. You can buy them without a prescription.
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole or pantoprazole, are the strongest. For regular heartburn, doctors often suggest a PPI once a day for 8 weeks. Take it 30 to 60 minutes before a meal, not at bedtime.
If your heartburn goes away on a PPI, talk to your doctor about stopping or taking it only on days you have symptoms. Read Are acid blockers (PPIs) safe? to learn more.
When should I see a doctor?
See your family doctor or nurse practitioner if:
- Your heartburn does not get better after these changes and a few weeks of medicine
- You need heartburn medicine most days to feel well
- Heartburn keeps coming back after you stop your medicine
Sources for this guide
Sources
- Katz PO, Dunbar KB, Schnoll-Sussman FH, et al. ACG Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Am J Gastroenterol 2022;117:27–56. PMID 34807007 Weight loss (strong); no meals 2–3 h before bed, head-of-bed raise for night symptoms, stop smoking, avoid trigger foods (conditional). Right-side sleeping increases night reflux. 8-week PPI trial 30–60 min before a meal, then try stopping or on-demand use. Alarm features: dysphagia, weight loss, bleeding, vomiting, anemia.
- Yadlapati R, Gyawali CP, Pandolfino JE. AGA Clinical Practice Update on the Personalized Approach to the Evaluation and Management of GERD: Expert Review. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022;20:984–994. PMID 35123084 Education on weight and lifestyle; head-of-bed raise and no meals within 3 h of bedtime; 4–8 week PPI trial then taper to lowest effective dose; endoscopy for alarm symptoms.
- Farrell B, Pottie K, Thompson W, et al. Deprescribing proton pump inhibitors: evidence-based clinical practice guideline. Can Fam Physician 2017;63:354–364. PMID 28500192 Canadian guideline. Lower the dose, or stop and use on demand, once heartburn is controlled; antacids, alginates or an H2 blocker for occasional symptoms.
- Health Canada. Drug Product Database: Pepcid AC (famotidine, DIN 02185938), over the counter, marketed. Checked October 2026. Famotidine is sold without a prescription in Canada.
This guide is for general education. It can't replace advice from your own care team, who know your health history.