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Hi Caeol,
Yes waking in the night with the bile of acid reflux in your throat is a common sigh of acid reflux. There are some things you can do to lessen your problems with acid reflux at night, but the first thing you should do is see a doctor to make sure the acid has not had the chance to do any serious damage to your esophagus. There is a great section here about prevention and night time GERD. You can read the entire posting here but below is an excerpt:
People with heartburn should first try lifestyle and dietary
changes. In one study, 44% of patients who experienced symptoms of
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) reported improvement after
changing their diet. Some suggestions are the following:
People with heartburn should avoid or reduce consumption of foods
and beverages that contain caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, spearmint,
and alcohol. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee increase acid
secretion.
All carbonated drinks increase the risk for GERD.
Although physicians often advise patients with GERD to cut down on
fatty foods, studies are finding no evidence that a low-fat or high-fat
meal make any difference in symptom exacerbation. Better studies are
needed to confirm this. In any case, as a rule, it is always wise to
avoid saturated fats (which are from animal products), and cut down on
all fats if one is overweight.
Increasing protein may help strengthen muscles in the muscle valve.
Patients should choose low-fat or skim dairy products, poultry, or
fish, in such cases.
Whole grain products rich in selenium may have some protective role against dangerous cells changes in Barrett's esophagus.
Patients should have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, although
avoid acidic vegetables and fruits (e.g., oranges, lemons, grapefruit,
pineapple, tomatoes).
Nearly three-quarters of patients with frequent GERD symptoms have
them at night. Patients with nighttime GERD also tend to experience
severe pain. It is very important to take preventative measures before
going to sleep. Some suggestions for preventing acid reflux at night
are as follows:
After meals, take a walk or, at the very least, remain upright.
Avoid bedtime snacks. In general, avoid eating for at least two hours prior to bedtime.
When going to bed, try lying on the left side rather than on the
right. The stomach is located higher than the esophagus when a person
sleeps on the right side, which can put pressure on the lower
esophageal sphincter (LES), increasing the risk for fluid back-up.
Sleep in a tilted position to help keep acid in the stomach at
night. To do this, raise the bed at an angle using four -to six- inch
blocks at the head of the bed and use a wedge-support to elevate the
top half of the body. (Extra pillows that only raise the head actually
increase the risk for reflux.)
Hope this helps! Take care and stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!Vicki M