Acid Reflux? The Dangers of Midnight Snacking
At-A-Glance
- Even if your diet is clean, and you don’t drink alcohol, a late-night snack translates to silent reflux all night long.
- If you have acid reflux, a nightcap (an alcoholic beverage) near bedtime is the kiss of death.
- Some snacks are worse than others; Chocolate, pizza, soda, and fatty meats, such as hamburgers and hotdogs, are on the worst possible choices list.
- Ideally, your last meal of the day should be something other than your major-refilling meal, and you should finish eating 3-5 hours before bedtime
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Today, Silent Nocturnal Respiratory Reflux (SNoRR) is the most common pattern of reflux. Silent means you don’t know it’s happening, and nighttime or nocturnal means it is happening while you sleep. That doesn’t mean reflux can’t disrupt sleep; it can … Sleep Apnea is caused by SNoRR. Indeed, respiratory reflux is the most common cause of both snoring and sleep apnea. And it can cause sinus symptoms, shortness of breath, and asthma. Indeed, respiratory reflux can affect any and every part of the respiratory system.
The number one, most critical risk factor for reflux, which should always be avoided, is snacking or drinking close to bedtime (NYT Op-Ed). Of all the things you could do to make your reflux worse, having an alcoholic beverage ( a “nightcap”) before bed, is the number one terrible idea.
No matter how much reflux medicine you take, there’s still plenty of acid. In other words, acid-suppressive medicines will cut your stomach acid down, but certainly not turn it off, and that includes proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec and Nexium. In my opinion, PPIs are dangerous medicines that should be removed from the market even though 25 million people take them. What is the acid reflux cure rate with PPIs? 0% … no one gets well with just PPIs.
In summary, the worst thing you can do for acid reflux is to snack or drink late at night. Going to bed with food and/or drink in your stomach ensures reflux at night while you sleep.
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