Does Drinking Hot Water Help Acid Reflux? Causes & Other Remedies

by Jay | Updated on December 22nd, 2022

If you’ve lately had heartburn, you should consume a glass of warm or hot water. Is this helpful?


Does drinking hot water help acid reflux? Is it worth it?

selective focus photograph of water pouring on gray pto

Drinking hot water may relieve acid reflux in some people while aggravating it in others. If drinking hot water relieves you, it will be brief and not long-lasting. Ginger tea, milk, or kefir are more beneficial than hot water for acid reflux.

Continue reading to find out how hot water might help you deal with acid reflux.

Does drinking hot water help acid reflux?

Heartburn is never a pleasant experience. Even in brief spurts, the sensation of stomach acids ascending your windpipe is more than unpleasant. Imagine having GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and dealing with it every hour or so. You will see how it may get so exhausting that you are eager to attempt everything to eliminate your problem.

So, to get right to the issue, can drinking hot water relieve the discomfort caused by acid reflux?

Drinking plenty of water, especially sipping, can relieve coughing and drowsiness caused by GERD, as a study shows. This results in increased secretion of acid from the esophagus, anaerobic reflux, and increased pharyngeal secretion, interrupting the reflux cough cycle and causing increased abdominal pressure and excessive coughing.

Unfortunately, the solution is not so simple. Medical specialists believe that the outcomes will vary from person to person. That is, there is a potential that it will not function as well as you had thought. However, it is also conceivable that it will have no effect or even worsen your illness.

What are Acid Reflux and GERD?

To begin, it is necessary to define acid reflux and GERD. The names are frequently used interchangeably; however, there is a distinction.

The backward passage of stomach acid into the esophagus is known as acid reflux. Acid reflux might seldom occur when you consume something that doesn’t agree with you or can occur daily.

GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, develops from chronic acid reflux. This more severe illness can cause trouble swallowing or a lump in your throat, coughing, clearing your throat repeatedly, wheezing, and even chest discomfort.

Avoiding trigger foods may be the best action if you occasionally suffer from acid reflux. You can also lose weight, consume smaller meals, abstain from alcohol, and stop smoking.

Antacids, H-2 receptor blockers, and proton pump inhibitors are all over-the-counter drugs that can assist.

You should consult your doctor if you feel you have GERD or suffer from acid reflux. GERD can cause irreparable damage to your esophagus if left untreated, making you more susceptible to cancer.

Your doctor can assess whether or not you require prescription medicine. Surgery is used to treat GERD in some circumstances.

Which beverages cause acid reflux?

Drinking water can help relieve acid reflux symptoms, but there are several drinks you should avoid. The following are some of the beverages that can increase acid reflux symptoms. Please make every effort to restrict or, better yet, eliminate their intake from your diet.

  • Alcoholic beverages – relax the lower esophageal sphincter and increase the generation of more gastric acid in the stomach. Both disorders might cause acid reflux or aggravate it if you already have it.
  • Carbonated beverages—The sugars in most beverages can also cause your stomach to produce extra acid to facilitate digestion. Furthermore, the drink’s bubbles might cause your stomach to inflate, placing a lot of strain on the lower esophageal sphincter. As a result, it opens up, allowing stomach acid to escape and flow into the windpipe.
  • Caffeine—If you have chronic acid reflux, you should find another method to feel energetic in the mornings since coffee might worsen your problem. Caffeine causes your stomach to become more acidic, exacerbating your acid reflux.
  • Chocolate—Along with coffee, you may need to limit, if not eliminate, your consumption of chocolate. This is because it has both chocolate and caffeine in it. Both chemicals are well-known for producing different acid products in the stomach, exacerbating acid reflux symptoms.
  • Citrus Juices citrus fruits contain a high concentration of citric acids; thus, drinking them if you have acid reflux can aggravate your condition.

However, remember that this does not imply that all fruits will irritate your acid reflux. Bananas, for example, can help alleviate some of the discomforts.

What are the most common acid reflux symptoms?

Acid reflex affects each individual differently, typically determined by the severity of the person’s ailment. However, some of the symptoms that persons with acid reflux commonly experience are here.

Heartburn

Heartburn, also known as acid indigestion, happens when you experience a searing ache in your stomach that rises into your chest. The discomfort might also reach the throat at times. However, even though it is referred to as heartburn, it is not a cardiac problem. It simply feels that.

Regurgitation

Another typical acid reflux symptom is regurgitation. It’s the sensation of stomach acid backing up your throat and mouth. When you regurgitate, it generally leaves a bitter or sour taste in your mouth. You may also get “wet” burps from stomach acid backing up your throat.

Dyspepsia

People who suffer from acid reflux will also suffer from dyspepsia. It is the umbrella word for stomach pain, and its symptoms include:

  • Burping often
  • Nausea, particularly after eating
  • Feeling bloated
  • Always feeling stuffed
  • Upper abdominal discomfort

If you have any of these symptoms, your stomach acid may irritate the lining of your esophagus, leading to bleeding and swelling. The worrying thing is that stomach acids may do so much damage to the cells that they form a malignant illness called Barrett’s Esophagus. Although the odds of you contracting this disease are slim, it is nevertheless possible.

Even though acid reflux is a frequent but seldom dangerous ailment, you should not disregard the signs of acid reflux. Instead, you need to make a few reasonable lifestyle modifications and consider utilizing over-the-counter antacids when the sensations get too overwhelming. These should be enough to help you moderate, if not eliminate, your acid reflux.

When do symptoms of acid reflux occur?

One thing you should understand to assist you in getting rid of acid reflux is when its symptoms appear. It is frequently induced when:

  • You’ve just finished a hearty supper.
  • You stoop too low or carry anything heavy.
  • You lie down with a full stomach, generally on your stomach.

People with GERD frequently have acid reflux symptoms at night, sometimes while sleeping. The symptoms that occur at night are the most painful. However, you should remember that the level of discomfort you are experiencing is not an indicator of how much damage your acid reflux has caused to your esophagus.

During pregnancy, more than half of all pregnant women have heartburn. This appears to be due to increased hormone production, which causes greater acid production, and the expanding fetus puts pressure on the stomach. Fortunately, acid reflux usually improves and, in some situations, totally disappears after labor.

How can water help with acid reflux?

Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid runs up your esophagus and throat. So, in principle, drinking hot water should help drive stomach acid back down into the stomach where it belongs. When you think about it, this makes a lot of sense, but there is more to drinking water than that.

Although drinking warm to hot water can assist by physically forcing the acid back down to the stomach, it also affects the chemical makeup of the stomach, according to medical studies. Drinking more water naturally improves the pH of your stomach, making it less acidic and reducing the incidence of acid reflux. In addition, the water can help wash away the acid accumulated on the lining of your esophagus, making you feel much better.

Is it better to reflux acid in cold or hot water?

Research is divided regarding whether hot or cold water is better for acid reflux. However, no evidence consuming either would worsen your acid reflux. In truth, drinking adequate water is necessary for optimal health; thus, ignoring it would only hurt you.

Whether you drink cold or hot water is mainly determined by your tastes and the sort of beverage you’re making. Tea, for example, need hot water, but fruit-infused water is best served cold. Nonetheless, there is something to be said for hot water diluting stomach acid better than cold water.

So start with lukewarm water and gradually increase the temperature – but not too much.

How can water make symptoms worse?

Some patients have refractory acid reflux, a more difficult type of GERD. It is essentially a sort of acid reflux resistant to any therapy, much alone merely drinking water. These folks may have an issue in which ingesting too much water, and other forms of food and drink might cause acid reflux.

However, you do not have refractory acid reflux to have symptoms while drinking water. In addition, consuming anything that causes the stomach to function, according to gastrointestinal doctors, might induce the same discomfort as acid reflux.

In other words, drinking hot water might cause acid reflux in certain people. In addition, you may unwittingly trigger acid reflux when you drink water (or any other beverage) on an empty stomach and then lie down. This is because overfilling your stomach pushes stomach acid up the esophagus, and lying down pushes it even higher up the windpipe.

What are some other home remedies for acid reflux?

What should you drink if sipping hot water does not relieve your acid reflux? Here are a few things you may drink to help relieve the symptoms of acid reflux. (Keep in mind that outcomes may vary.)

Some of these liquids may benefit your condition, while others may not be as effective as anticipated. So, again, you’ll need to experiment to discover what works best for you.

Tea with Ginger

This tea has no caffeine; thus, it does not affect the acidity of your stomach. In addition, the study showed ginger has chemicals that work naturally to lower acid production, alleviating pain. Ginger has antimicrobial effects as well. It can help repair the damage caused by stomach acids on your windpipe by lowering the chance of infection.

Milk

Dairy products can help alleviate acid reflux symptoms. However, it is recommended to take them straight and without additional sweeteners. Low-fat and nonfat milk will soothe your stomach, and many experts think milk substitutes such as almond and soy milk might help. In addition, because milk is alkaline, it can help neutralize excess stomach acids.

Drinks with Yogurt

Yogurt, like milk, is a dairy food that can help with acid reflux. As previously said, you should only consume those that are sugar-free. You may sweeten it with honey if you choose. Yogurt drinks also include helpful bacteria that help maintain healthy gut flora.

Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk product that contains substantially more beneficial microorganisms than yogurt. As a result, kefir neutralizes excess gastric acid and improves stomach health by assisting in healthy digestion.

These are just a few natural solutions you might try if you want to alleviate the discomfort caused by acid reflux. You could discover something that fully cures your acid reflux if you’re lucky.

Conclusion – Does drinking hot water help acid reflux?

Is it true that hot water relieves acid reflux? Many say drinking hot, but not scorching, water relieved their acid reflux. Some testified, however, that drinking water aggravated their acid reflux.

Despite the disparities in emotions, all sides of the debate have valid points. However, your outcomes may differ, so it is about determining if it works for you. If it doesn’t, it’s time to look into alternative options, such as those mentioned in this article.

Jay

Jay is a health and wellness enthusiast with expertise in water quality and nutrition. As a knowledgeable advocate for holistic well-being, Jay successfully manages Type 2 Diabetes through informed lifestyle choices. Committed to sharing reliable and authoritative insights, Jay combines firsthand experience with a passion for enhancing health."