Acid Reflux and Late Night Meals

Bob: Hi! My name is Bob and I'm from Denver, Colorado. I work at late shift and usually don't eat till 9'o'clock at night or so and I have acid reflux usually by the end of the evening. So my question is does it have something to do with what time I eat?

David Rubin: Bob reflux of acid into the esophagus is caused by excessive acid in the stomach or decreased emptying of the stomach and both of those things happen after you've eaten. People who eat late at night are often people who are then going to lie down to watch TV or go to bed and when you lie down you now have gravity assisting that acid content going up in your esophagus instead of forward into your small intestine. People who work late like you, who are eating a late dinner either should not lie down for a couple of hours after eating, should eat smaller meals or may in fact need some acid blocking medications to help treat their symptoms.


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