Heartburn – what does it feel like? The burning sensation behind the breastbone (sternum) is what’s commonly known as heartburn. It can be mild or can cause quite a lot of discomfort. If you’re experiencing heartburn, particularly if you’ve never had it before, you may be wondering, how long does heartburn last?
There is no given time frame for heartburn, unfortunately. For some, it may last only a few minutes and for others, it can be a chronic problem that lasts for months or even years. In severe cases, episodes can last for several days, but in a lot of cases they can last just a few minutes. A more serious condition, such as gastro esophageal reflux diesease (GERD) can be diagnosed if heartburn occurs frequently.
How long does heartburn last; this depends on a number of factors. A primary indicator of how long your symptoms may last are down to the underlying cause of the heartburn. If acid is creeping up into your esophagus from your stomach, this can be a sign that you have GERD. This means your symptoms may last longer due to the fact that the lower esophageal sphincter is not functioning properly. Conditions such as pregnancy and obesity can contribute to added pressure on the stomach, causing heartburn that tends to last for longer periods.
If your heartburn is a matter of eating spicy foods, it’s not likely to last as long as heartburn caused by other underlying conditions. It has been known for minor lingering pain to continue for a day or two after a heartburn episode but a time span of several hours is usually sufficient to elimate heartburn that has been caused by food. Once your body has the opportunity to fully digest the offending foods, heartburn should usually cease soon after.
Until the cause is identified and treated, there are many of you who will experience frequent attacks. For others, it will simply come and go. Certain types of foods can trigger heartburn for some people as their bodies digest different foods differently. If you can eliminate these foods, then this may help in the number of episodes you suffer from.
Certain foods are more likely to contribute to heartburn. Foods such as chocolate, hot, saucy or spicy foods can be common culprits. Start by keeping track of the foods you’ve eaten recently prior to each attack and begin eliminating them one by one. You need to keep an eye on everything you eat prior to a heartburn attack as certain medications and certain drinks and foods i.e. alcholol and caffeine can trigger an attack.
Heartburn that lasts longer than several days or does not respond to antacids should be evaluated by a medical professional. In some cases, more serious conditions, including heart attack, can be disregarded as heartburn. If you’re at risk of heart conditions, learn to differentiate heartburn and angina symptoms so you can seek proper medical attention if you experience angina.
Heartburn – how long does it last? Is a frequent question by many sufferers?Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered easily. Each individual will respond differently to heartburn and to different remedies, so there is a variable time frame that an individual heartburn episode can last. Fortunately, there are natural remedies and solutions that can help reduce the number of heartburn episodes you experience and the severity of those that occur.
