Acidity – its symptoms and Prevention

Acidity is one of the most common problems faced by most people. This is due in large part to incorrect eating habits and even stressful at times. Poor eating, stress is connected in a way. One leads to another, which in turn leads to unhealthy living and acidity-like problems.

But, in order to find a solution to the problem, understanding what is acidity is first important?

Acidity is a term used by the gastric glands of the stomach for a set of symptoms caused by excessive acid production. The stomach usually secretes the hydrochloric acid needed to break down and digest the food we eat. Acidity causes symptoms such as dyspepsia, stomach inflammation from heartburn, and stomach ulcers.

Now, there are some factors that cause acidity like eating habits, fad diets, stress, smoking and alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, eating irregularity, oily and spicy food consumption. Besides these certain medicines, the cause of acidity is too responsible.

Some of the symptoms which can be felt as a result of acidity can be:

1. Burning session in the stomach
2. Burning session in the throat
3. Restlessness
4. Belching
5. Nausea
6. Sour taste
7. Indigestion
8. Constipation

So let us look at some of the parameters to prevent acidity.

1. Don’t consume spicy food or fried foods too often.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. One should be taking at least 2 servings of fruits and 3-4 servings of vegetables. Green leafy vegetables would be a really good choice to go for.
3. Eat small, regular meals. Try to reduce the gap between meals to not more than 3 hours.
4. Consume your last meal at least a few hours before sleeping.
5. Chew tulsi leaves, cloves, saunf (Aniseed), etc.
6. Avoid medications like NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and steroids
7. Reduce stress. Deep breathing, going for a walk and being in nature are some of the activities which can help in reducing stress.