If you have dealt with anxiety symptoms for any amount of time you may have battled with heartburn. This is annoying and disruptive but not specific to you since heartburn is very common among people that suffer from anxiety disorders. Although some say that stress and anxiety have not been directly linked to heartburn, let me just say that those folks are wrong. I have read opposing positions that point out that when the body goes into fight or flight the ensuing flood of adrenaline causes blood to leave the stomach and this causes the muscles in your stomach to not contract normally. As a result, the body detects a malfunctioning digestive system and compensates by producing more stomach acid and this causes heartburn. Now that sounds like what’s going on.
I am no doctor/scientist so I don’t know for certain. All I can say with certainty is that when I am under a lot of stress and anxiety I struggle with heartburn. I have trouble eating, breathing, sleeping and generally feel miserable. It can start with simple burps and lead to burning in the throat or upper chest. I have even tasted the stomach acid and that is disgusting and very hard to swallow – literally.
The causes notwithstanding, how can you deal with this problem? Most heartburn preventative measures involve avoiding certain foods and all of the foods you have to avoid are very tasty. Let’s see, there is mash potatoes, french fries, ground beef, ice cream, spaghetti, chips, cookies and basically anything that you like to eat or drink. You should also stay away from tobacco and alcohol, get plenty of excercise, sleep right and eat a healthy diet. The heartburn preventative measures link above will give you tons of detailed information about how to deal with heartburn, but what is just as important is that you not ignore it. I know sometimes you just want to pop some rolaids and call it a night, but long term heartburn can be harmful and should be checked out by your doctor. Try different methods, but do something so the fire doesn’t rage out of control.
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