Avoiding Heartburn for Retirees: Statistics and Sacrifices

Author: David Timm      Photo courtesy of Unsplash

For seniors, there are few things as debilitating and uncomfortable as getting heartburn after your favorite meal. Though this may cause some distress, it’s possible to make some sacrifices to your diet to ensure you can still eat great food while maintaining the happy and healthy lifestyle you deserve.

In this post, we’ll cover interesting heartburn statistics, the things Americans would sacrifice to become free from heartburn, the emotional toll that constant heartburn can have on a person, and seven tips to reduce your heartburn symptoms.

Interesting Heartburn Statistics

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), more commonly known as “heartburn,” is a medical condition that creates an uncomfortable burning sensation in your chest, throat, or esophagus and is a disorder caused by acid reflux. This sensation can cause a lot of discomfort, but it’s not as uncommon as you might think.

In this post, we’ll cover interesting heartburn statistics, the things Americans would sacrifice to become free from heartburn, the emotional toll that constant heartburn can have on a person, and seven tips to reduce your heartburn symptoms.

Heartburn Sacrifice Survey Answers

According to a heartburn survey by DrugWatch, there are quite a few things that Americans over the age of 18 would give up to reduce their heartburn. Here are some interesting facts from the survey.

To avoid acid reflux in the future:

• 28% of Americans said they would give up alcohol.
• 27% of respondents said they would give up smoking.
• 17% said they would refuse to give up any activity.
• 11% said they’d give up social media.

Taking a closer look at the data, women are more likely to give up alcohol and live a sober life than men (31% of women vs. 25% of men), and men are more likely to give up smoking than women (30% vs. 25%, respectively).

Regarding giving up certain foods to avoid heartburn, here’s how people responded:

• 26% of respondents said they would give up alcohol.
• 21% of people said they were unwilling to give up their favorite food.
• 18% of Americans said they’d give up soda.
• 17% answered that they’d give up fried food.
• 10% of respondents said they would give up pizza.
• Only 8% of people said they would give up sugar.

One interesting note about the survey is the unwillingness of seniors to give up their favorite foods to reduce their chances of getting heartburn. Twenty-eight percent of seniors said they would refuse to give up their favorite foods, while only 17% of adults aged 18–29 are unwilling to sacrifice anything.

The Mental Toll of Heartburn

In the DrugWatch survey, there are some interesting facts associated with the emotions linked to heartburn. 

• 30% of Americans feel frustration when they have heartburn.
• 27% of respondents said heartburn makes them feel anxious.
• 12% of surveyed people feel anger from getting heartburn.
• 12% of respondents feel embarrassed.
• Depression affects 9% of surveyed individuals with heartburn.
• 7% of people feel shame from heartburn.

7 Tips for Avoiding Heartburn

There are seven essential tips you can follow to help reduce or eliminate heartburn in the future and maintain your health as a senior.

1. Stop smoking: Smoking weakens the esophagus and can lead to GERD.
2. Maintain a healthy weight: Obesity is a risk factor for developing GERD, so ensure you increase your longevity with exercise.
3. Ask about medications: Speak with your doctor about how to reduce GERD.
4. Plan for small meals: Smaller meals can ease your stomach and esophagus.
5. Avoid tight clothing: Loose clothing can reduce pressure on your stomach.
6. Know which foods trigger your heartburn: Cut out foods that always give you heartburn.
7. Avoid meals before bed: Digest your food while you’re still upright, as eating 2–3 hours before bedtime can trigger acid reflux.

Now that you know everything about avoiding heartburn, you can live a more mindful life through your golden years. 

About our author: David Timm is an editor and writer that specializes in content marketing and search engine optimization. With years of agency experience under his belt, David is thrilled by cutting-edge marketing and analyzing SERPs and keywords. David lives in Denver, Colorado.