Gerd Kambuh At Night? Here's How To Overcome It

Gerd illustration recurrences (Freepik/Lifestylemory)

JAKARTA - Gerd or Gastro-oesophageal reflectux disease is a chronic disorder that occurs when stomach acid flows back into the concavity.

This condition is often characterized by symptoms such as a hot sensation in the chest (heartburn), nausea, and discomfort in the stomach. Symptoms can also appear at any time regardless of time, including at night.

This is what makes Gerd sufferers feel sleep disturbances to feel uncomfortable while resting at night. So if it relapses, how to deal with it?

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr. Lohith U, a Bariatric Gastroenterological Surgery Consultant and Cerna Channel Oncology at the Manipal Hospital Sarjapur Road, discussed Gerd's main cause, his impact on sleep quality, and measures to manage his symptoms.

Dr. Lohith explained that the lower esophagus sfingter muscles, which are tasked with separating the stomach and concavity, sometimes weaken or relax at the wrong time.

This allows stomach acid to rise back into the concavity. When acid reflux occurs at night, it is referred to as Gerd's nighttime and is usually more severe when a person is sleeping.

"Aximal reflux at night can cause sleep disturbances, such as often waking up or not sleeping well, accompanied by symptoms such as heat in the chest, coughing, strangling, or acidic taste in the mouth," he explained, as quoted by Antara.

Lack of sleep due to Gerd can have a bad impact on health, such as fatigue, easy emotions, difficulty focusing, and decreased body metabolic abilities. If left unchecked, this can lead to serious complications, such as esophagitis (inflammation in the concavity), hatchling, narrowing of concavity (strictures), respiratory problems, or precancer conditions known as Barrett's oesophagus.

To help reduce Gerd symptoms at night and improve sleep quality, Dr. Lohith provides some practical recommendations: