Heartburn is what acid reflux feels like
Heartburn is a burning pain behind the breastbone. It happens when stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus and touches a lining that has no defence against acid. The name is an accident of geography — the pain sits right over the heart — but the heart is not involved.
Typical heartburn arrives 30–60 minutes after a meal, gets worse when you bend over or lie down, may climb toward the throat, and leaves a sour or bitter taste in the mouth.
Heartburn vs acid reflux vs GERD
The event: acid moves up from the stomach. What acid reflux is →
The symptom: the burning that reflux causes. Not everyone with reflux feels it.
The disease: heartburn or reflux twice a week or more, or damage to the esophagus. What GERD is →
Occasional heartburn after a big, late, spicy meal is normal. Heartburn twice a week or more is not — that's the definition doctors use for GERD.
What triggers heartburn?
- Eating fast or eating too much — the stomach stretches and the valve gives way
- Fatty, fried or spicy food, tomato, citrus, onion, garlic
- Coffee, chocolate, peppermint, alcohol, fizzy drinks — all relax the valve
- Lying down within 2–3 hours of eating, especially late dinners
- Tight waistbands, excess abdominal weight, pregnancy
- Smoking and some medicines (ask your doctor if yours can relax the valve)
Full breakdown of the causes →
My experience: heartburn was my "normal" for years — a burn after lunch, wait it out, repeat. It wasn't the food so much as the speed: every meal gone in five minutes. When I finally slowed down, the daily heartburn went with it. Read the full story →
Fast heartburn relief
- Sit or stand up straight — let gravity work.
- Sip water or chew sugar-free gum to boost saliva, which neutralises acid.
- Loosen your belt or waistband.
- Happening often? See a doctor rather than self-treating. What medicine can and can't do →
- Stay upright for 2–3 hours; if it's bedtime, raise the head of the bed 15–20 cm.
Heartburn or heart attack?
Heartburn burns, is tied to meals or lying down, and eases when you sit up. Heart pain is more often pressure or squeezing, comes on with exertion, spreads to the arm, neck or jaw, and arrives with sweating, nausea or breathlessness. If you can't tell, call emergency services. More on telling the two apart →
Stopping heartburn for good
Relief treats the fire; habits remove the fuel. Smaller meals, no food within 3 hours of bed, fewer trigger foods and eating slowly with proper chewing fix most heartburn for good. The step-by-step plan → If slowing down is the hard part, that's exactly what the FixMyStomach app was built for.
This page shares personal experience and general information. It is not medical advice — please consult your doctor about your own condition.