7 ways to reduce heartburn naturally: Chewing sugar‑free gum after meals, sleeping on left side, and more
According to Dr Saurabh Sethi, a Harvard and AIIMS-trained gastroenterologist in his
post, small changes like chewing sugar-free gum after meals and sleeping on your left side can make a huge difference. In an Instagram post, he shared these simple yet science-backed fixes as his top tips for reducing acid reflux and now clinical studies back him up. So if you're ready to kick heartburn to the curb naturally, here are seven proven ways to do exactly that.
7 ways you can reduce your heartburn naturally
Chewing sugar‑free gum after meals reduces acid levels
A small
clinical trial
conducted in London in 2005 followed 31 participants to see how chewing gum affects acid levels in the oesophagus after eating. The researchers measured how long the participants' oesophageal pH stayed below 4, a level considered highly acidic and linked to heartburn. Normally, after a meal, the acid level stayed low for about 5.7% of the time. But when participants chewed sugar-free gum for 30 minutes after eating, that acid exposure time dropped significantly to just 3.6%.
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That's a meaningful difference. So, how does chewing gum help? It's all about saliva. Chewing gum increases the amount of saliva your mouth produces, and all that extra swallowing helps push acid back down into the stomach, where it belongs. This simple habit helps clear acid more quickly and may ease or prevent reflux symptoms naturally.
Sleeping on your left side reduces nighttime heartburn
A
study
conducted at Amsterdam UMC with 58 people suffering from GERD (acid reflux) found something surprisingly simple that can make a big difference, sleeping on your left side.
Compared to lying on the right side or flat on your back, left-side sleeping significantly reduced nighttime acid exposure. Why? Because gravity plays a big role. When you lie on your left, your stomach is positioned lower than your oesophagus, which helps keep stomach acid where it belongs.
This position makes it harder for acid to flow upward and cause those painful reflux episodes while you sleep.
Elevating the head while sleeping helps prevent reflux
Several clinical trials and research reviews have shown that raising the head of your bed by 6 to 8 inches can significantly reduce acid reflux symptoms during the night.
When you sleep flat, stomach acid can more easily creep up into the oesophagus, especially if your lower oesophageal sphincter is weak. But by elevating your upper body, gravity helps keep acid in your stomach where it belongs. This simple change, using risers under your bed or a wedge pillow, has been proven to lower oesophageal acid exposure and improve sleep quality for people with GERD.
Eating smaller meals reduces pressure on the LES
Large meals stretch the stomach and relax the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES), making reflux more likely.
Controlled studies show that smaller, frequent meals ease pressure and reduce acid episodes, especially when combined with upright posture.
Avoiding late‑night meals gives the stomach time to empty
Eating within 2–3 hours of bedtime increases reflux risk. Research shows that allowing digestion time before lying down significantly reduces nocturnal symptoms and improves sleep quality in GERD patients.
Limiting trigger foods cuts reflux at the source
Foods like coffee, chocolate, mint, citrus, alcohol, and fried snacks can relax the LES or spike acid production.
Controlled dietary interventions demonstrate improved reflux symptoms within weeks of removing these triggers from daily meals.
Staying upright after eating aids digestion
One of the simplest ways to beat heartburn? Just stay upright after you eat. Whether you're taking a short walk or just relaxing in a chair, keeping your body vertical for 20 to 30 minutes gives gravity a chance to help your food move down and settle properly. This small habit can make a big difference.
In fact, a 2020 study found that three out of four people with acid reflux felt better just by doing this one thing. So next time you finish a meal, resist the urge to lie down, it could save you from that all-too-familiar burning sensation.
You don't always need to reach for antacids or prescriptions to keep heartburn at bay. In fact, some of the most effective acid reflux remedies are simple lifestyle tweaks backed by science. Chewing sugar-free gum after meals can help neutralise acid faster, while sleeping on your left side keeps stomach contents where they belong thanks to gravity. Even small changes, like avoiding late-night meals, sitting upright after eating, and elevating the head of your bed can make a big difference.
These natural solutions may sound basic, but when used consistently, they work. Try a few and see how your body responds, your digestive system (and sleep schedule) will thank you.
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