Monday, January 12, 2009

The Connection Between Heartburn and Stress

Managing your stress is vital to your health if you want to lessen the heartburn symptoms you endure on a daily basis. Although there isn't a scientific connection between heartburn and stress, there's lots of evidence for an indirect link.

Stress can cause us to eat too much, choose the wrong foods, lose sleep, and take up addictive behaviors such as smoking or drinking. These actions will compound the problem if they end up worsening your heartburn.

If chronic heartburn is a problem for you, you need to take a close look at the stressors in your life so you can get rid of them. Are some of your relationships the problem? The workplace? Finances or being over-scheduled? All of this can increase your stress levels and lead to heartburn if it makes you choose unwise lifestyle choices.

Once you know what triggers your symptoms, you can start to get rid of your chronic heartburn by looking for ways to lower your stress. Can you enroll in counseling or carve some time out for you to relax and enjoy life a bit more?

It's possible to relieve stress and, by association, get heartburn relief through enhancing key parts of your life. Add exercise to your daily routine if you don’t already do it. You might also lose some weight, which is another major contributor to heartburn.

If you just need to unwind and relax, try meditation or massage. While these may not directly inhibit heartburn, they can make your life less hectic and allow you to de-stress and live the kind of lifestyle that helps heartburn sufferers cut down on the frequency with which they experience heartburn.

Perhaps setting aside time each day to listen to your favorite music will help to relax you and still your mind. This sort of relaxation can prevent you from overeating, drinking alcohol, or smoking. These habits can all lead to a bad case of heartburn.

You might like to exchange your bad habits with a more positive activity, such as laughter. Improve your mood and lose stress by finding things that humor you and help you let go of life’s troubles.

Seek out methods of reducing stress and preventing heartburn symptoms that won't put you in financial jeopardy. You want to avoid adding financial problems to your misery, and there are lots of cheap ways to manage your heartburn and enjoy your life.

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