What helps with acid reflux at night?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Raise the head of your bed 10 to 20 cm (blocks or a wedge - extra pillows just bend your neck), stop eating 2 to 3 hours before bed, and sleep on your left side, which keeps the acid pocket below the valve. Cut evening triggers: fatty or spicy food, chocolate, mint, caffeine, and alcohol - alcohol relaxes the valve and sedates you into sleeping through the burn. Occasional nights: antacids or alginate. Regular nights: a short pharmacy course of omeprazole. The red line - reflux several nights a week, trouble swallowing, vomiting blood or black stools, chest pain, weight loss - means a doctor, not more antacids. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you sort the pattern.
What to do
- Tilt the bed, not the pillows: blocks under the head-end legs, 10 to 20 cm.
- Close the kitchen 2 to 3 hours before bed: an empty stomach cannot reflux.
- Sleep left-side: simple anatomy, real effect.
- Treat frequent nights as a review: several times a week deserves a clinician, not a bigger antacid bottle.
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