Heartburn symptoms

If you have frequent heartburn, these are a few of the common effects you probably know all too well:

• The burning in the chest just below or behind the breast bone.
• Coughing or wheezing.
• Pain that gets worse when you're lying down.

Heartburn triggers

You may already know about some of the many triggers that can cause heartburn:¹

• Going to bed or laying down soon after eating
• Drinking alcohol
• Smoking cigarettes
• Indulging in fatty or spicy foods
• Eating certain fruits and vegetables like citrus, tomatoes, and onions
• Drinking soda, coffee, and other carbonated or caffeinated beverages
• And yes, even eating chocolate and mints

Sometimes healthy choices like a good diet and regular exercise can help you avoid the usual symptoms of heartburn. But there is another cause of heartburn you might not think about as often, and it's called stress. This is a not-so-obvious factor of heartburn that can sneak up on you.

Other ways heartburn gets to you

If you have frequent heartburn, you may experience changes that affect your lifestyle too. Frequent heartburn may affect your ability to focus at work. And then there's the stress factor of heartburn that can make you seem ill-tempered or moody. You might even find it difficult to fully enjoy social occasions. There are also the effects of finding it hard to sleep due to heartburn.² And the after-effects the next day of getting less sleep than you desire the night before.

Like the physical symptoms of heartburn, these effects can be just as discomforting to you, not to mention the people who care about you. So how much does frequent heartburn affect your life? Answering this will make it easier to give frequent heartburn the respect it deserves.