Which side should I sleep on for heartburn?

Sleeping on your left side is linked with less reflux than sleeping on the right side or back.

How long before bed should I eat to avoid heartburn?

Try to finish dinner at least 3 hours before lying down.

Is milk good for heartburn at night?

A few sips of cold milk soothe some people, but a large glass can increase acid later. Notice how your body responds.

Home remedies for heartburn at night: early dinner, raised pillow and cooling sips

A burning feeling behind the breastbone that flares when you lie down can ruin a night's sleep. These home remedies for heartburn at night — an early, lighter dinner, sleeping on your left side with the head end raised, and cooling sips like saunf water — help keep stomach acid where it belongs.

Home remedies for heartburn at night: why it's worse lying down

When you lie flat soon after eating, gravity no longer helps keep acid in the stomach, so it flows back into the food pipe. Large or late dinners, spicy and fatty food, tea, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, smoking, tight clothes and extra belly weight all make night-time heartburn more likely.

In Ayurveda, burning (daha) points to pitta, which is naturally strong around midnight. Eating dinner before sunset or early evening and favouring cooling foods is the traditional advice.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon saunf soaked in a glass of water for 2 hours
A few cold milk sips or a small banana (if they suit you)
An extra pillow or 4–6 inch blocks under the bed head

How to prepare

Strain the saunf water; it can be kept at room temperature for the evening.

How to use

Finish dinner at least 3 hours before bed and keep it smaller than lunch.
Sip saunf water after dinner.
Raise the head end of the bed with blocks (extra pillows alone can bend the stomach) and sleep on your left side.
If heartburn starts, sit up and take a few sips of water or cold milk.

Helpful habits

Swap spicy gravies at night for dal, roti and cooked vegetables.
Avoid tea, coffee and chocolate after 4 pm.
Losing even a little belly weight may reduce reflux.

Precautions

Pregnant women commonly get heartburn at night; the same habits help, but take antacids only on medical advice. Children with reflux should see a paediatrician.
If you take regular medicines (painkillers, BP or asthma drugs), ask your doctor whether they could be causing heartburn — don't stop them yourself.
Seek urgent care if 'heartburn' comes with chest pressure, breathlessness, sweating or pain in the arm or jaw. See a doctor for heartburn more than twice a week, trouble swallowing, vomiting, black stools or weight loss.

Frequently asked questions

Which side should I sleep on for heartburn?: Sleeping on your left side is linked with less reflux than sleeping on the right side or back.
How long before bed should I eat to avoid heartburn?: Try to finish dinner at least 3 hours before lying down.
Is milk good for heartburn at night?: A few sips of cold milk soothe some people, but a large glass can increase acid later. Notice how your body responds.