IT’S the time of the year when a Chocolate Orange for breakfast and cheese for dinner is perfectly acceptable.
But if your digestion leaves a bit to be desired and rich Christmas foods are taking their toll on you, you’re not alone.
Millions of over-the-counter remedies for heartburn are sold every year in the UK, but there are plenty of things we can do to mitigate that acid reflux feeling without having to put down the cheese knife.
There are three major culprits at play when it comes to heartburn during the festive season.
First is the types of foods we’re eating. We eat more rich foods and foods high in fat and sugar, such as cheese and chocolate, which can exacerbate the problem.
Spicy foods can also make heartburn symptoms worse, as can alcohol – which many of us go completely overboard with at Christmas.
Secondly, with the average number of calories consumed on Christmas Day hovering around 5,000, the volume of food we eat can cause the acid produced by our stomachs to go into overdrive.
The festive season usually signals overindulgence and lots more courses than we would normally eat, which can all upset our normal digestion patterns.
Finally, stress can cause heartburn. Yes, you read that right.
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A lot of people are surprised to know that, but stress hormone cortisol has a direct relationship with the amount of stomach acid we produce.
What actually is heartburn, though? Put simply, it’s when the very strong acid that belongs in our stomachs, and which helps us break down and digest foods, makes its way up into the oesophagus, resulting in a burning sensation behind the breastbone – and sometimes also chest pain.
It’s not all bad news, though. There are plenty of over-the-counter medications you can buy that will help to relieve the symptoms, and often popping an antacid before overindulging can mean you don’t get heartburn anyway.
Antacids like Gaviscon and Rennie work by neutralising acid, but there’s also a group of drugs called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, that can actually reduce the amount of stomach acid produced.
They include omeprazole, lansoprazole and esomeprazole and can be bought over the counter – they work best if taken before the 5,000 calories – so worth preparing in advance.
Other tips include having a glass of water with every alcoholic drink, to aid digestion and help stop you from overeating and drinking.
Making sure you stay vertical after your meal will help gravity aid digestion and make it harder for stomach acid to rise. So, rather than falling asleep after The Queen’s speech, going for a gentle walk can help relieve symptoms.
You might think the typical heartburn sufferer is someone with a build like Santa and a penchant for port, but you would be wrong. The prevalence is fairly balanced between men and women – although some studies say women are more likely to be prone to it.
It’s not uncommon for people with heartburn to present to the emergency department thinking they’re having a heart attack (and sometimes vice versa).
If you think you’re having a heart attack it’s vital to call 999. But there are several ways doctors differentiate between heartburn and a heart attack.
Firstly, your history. If you’ve had a huge meal and it feels exactly like your usual heartburn, then it most likely is. If in doubt and you want advice, call 111.
Heartburn usually presents as a burning sensation behind the breastbone, a heart attack typically feels more crushing, like an elephant has sat on your chest, and can be associated with shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, feeling very unwell, and sometimes collapse.
However, not every heart attack is typical, so chest pain that concerns you should always be treated as serious and checked out.
Do not be afraid to call 999 immediately if you suspect you or someone else may be having a heart attack.
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