Nocturnal Acid Reflux

Nocturnal Acid Reflux: Why heartburn worsens when you lie down

If during the day heartburn may be just an unpleasant sensation, at night it turns into a real sleep enemy. Many women note that acid reflux significantly intensifies in the horizontal position, preventing proper rest. This has a simple physical explanation.

Gravity is no longer your friend

During the day, when you are in an upright position, gravity helps keep the stomach contents in place. When you lie down, this assistance disappears. The sphincter between the esophagus and stomach, relaxed due to progesterone, can no longer effectively resist pressure, and gastric acid finds it much easier to enter the esophagus.

Additional factors that aggravate nighttime reflux:

• Dinner before bedtime: If you eat shortly before lying down, your stomach will be full, increasing pressure on the sphincter.
• Uterine pressure: In the third trimester the large uterus presses on the stomach, and in a lying position this pressure can increase.

Combating nighttime reflux is primarily about proper sleep and dinner organization. Tips for comfortable rest can be found in the article "Sleep during pregnancy".