Eating big meals will worsen your heartburn problem because your body or your stomach will produce excess acid in order to digest huge amounts of food. This is why you have to try and eat smaller meals at least 6 times a day instead of eating 3 large meals a day. This will lessen your stomach s production of acid, which will help in managing heartburn. Acidic beverages, such as orange juice and sodas as well as alcohol and coffee are known to cause heartburn. You really don t have to give up drinking these things but you have to limit it or control it. You should also drink more water in order to neutralize stomach acid. You also need to remember that some exercise routines can cause heartburn. Aside from heartburn, GERD has other possible symptoms, such as belching, bad breath and inflamed gums. You can treat GERD with H2 antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, and antacids. Another contributing factor for heartburn is Hiatal Hernia. This can also cause you to experience persistent heartburn or pyrosis and if it is already affecting your quality of life, surgical intervention may be needed to treat the problem. When stomach acid comes in to contact with our esophagus, it will cause irritation and we will feel that burning sensation that starts in our diaphragm all the way to our chest, which is basically what we all know as heartburn. It s an unpleasant feeling that you have to learn how to prevent in order for you to continue living a normal life and also keep your body healthy. When you eat large meals, the production of stomach acid increases and when you lie down immediately after eating a large meal to go to bed, your body is in the perfect position for the stomach acid to reflux or come in contact with the esophagus. Hiatal hernia is another cause of heartburn. This condition is a result of a weakening of the tissues that supports the digestive tract. Proton pump inhibitors may also be prescribed by your doctor if you continue to experience heartburn. This type of drug will prevent the stomach from secreting acid. Usually taken once a day, these drugs are usually very effective in easing heartburn symptoms. And, these drugs are usually prescribed if no other drugs helped your heartburn condition.