Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See all Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See all News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet is not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See all Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See all Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See all Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Heartburn Chevron Right
  3. 11 Acid Reflux Symptoms You Need to Know—and When to See a Doctor

11 Acid Reflux Symptoms You Need to Know—and When to See a Doctor

By Amanda Gardner
Updated November 08, 2019
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: IAN HOOTON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
Hint: It's not *just* a burning in your chest.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

What is heartburn—and why does it feel so horrible?

Credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz/Getty Images

Heartburn isn't necessarily a mysterious condition. The pain and burning in your chest or throat, which can also be called acid reflux, is caused by stomach acid backing up into your esophagus, according to the US National Library of Medicine. In fact, it's something that over 60 million Americans experience one a month—with a reported 15 million Americans suffering each day, per the American College of Gastroentrology.

Clearly, such discomfort in your chest would be easy to identify, right? Not exacftly—somtimes acid reflux symptoms are less obvious, or easily mistaken for something else. But, left untreated, heartburn can lead to serious issues, like Barrett's esophagus, for example, which is a precursor to cancer, says Timothy Pfanner, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, in College Station.

That's why it's important to get a firm diagnosis of heartburn, and then manage it, with the help of your doctor. But, to get the ball rolling, here are TK symptoms—both common and not-so common—that could mean you have acid reflux.

Here are some symptoms—both common and unusual—that could mean you have acid reflux.

RELATED: 9 Things That Could Be Giving You Acid Reflux

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You have sharp chest pain.

Credit: reklamlar/Getty Images

Clearly, chest pain is a telltale sign of heartburn—but it can also be a sign of a heart attack. In fact, many people mistake heartburn for a heart attack. While you definitely shouldn't diagnose yourself, there are a few ways to tell if your chest pain is heart attack or heartburn related.

In heart-related chest pain, for example, the pain will feel more like a tightness or pressure in your chest, and may spread to the back, neck, jaw, or arms. It's also often associated with sweating, dizziness, nausea, difficulty breathing, or an irregular pulse. Heartburn-related chest pain, on the other hand, is typically a sharper pain that may be precipitated by eating a fatty or spicy meal and is affected by change in position (like laying down or bending over).

Still, if you're having chest pain and your'e worried, check with your doctor just to rule out a heart attack, says Walter J. Coyle, MD, gastroenterologist with Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California.

RELATED: 4 Causes of Chest Pain You Might Not Know About

2 of 12

3 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Your pain is worse when you lie down.

Credit: Kanchana Chitkhamma / EyeEm/Getty Images

Because heartburn is caused by stomach acid that creeps back into your esophagus, your symptoms can worsen when you lie down or bend over. "If you're sitting up straight, gravity helps keep food in the stomach," says Dr. Coyle. "If you lose the gravity, you're more prone to reflux."

A qjuick fix? Many people with chronic heartburn often raise the head of their bed, so they're not laying completely horizontal. Eating meals right before bedtime is also something that should be avoided if you have recurring heartburn.

RELATED: 6 Great Pillows for People With Acid Reflux

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You have pain after eating.

Credit: Westend61/Getty Images

Pain that sets in right after a meal—especially a big meal—often means the stomach is overloaded and its contents have nowhere to go but up. Luckily, there's a quick fix: "I would stress not eating big, fatty meals and watching [your intake of alcohol and tobacco]," says Dr. Coyle, who is a spokesman for the American College of Gastroenterology. (FYI: It's also another reason not to dine-then-recline.)

RELATED: What Is GERD?

4 of 12

5 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You have a bitter taste in your mouth.

Credit: Igorad/Getty Images

Sometimes acid escaping from your stomach can make its way into the back of your throat, leaving an icky, bitter taste in your mouth. In really extreme cases, this can cause choking.

If that happens—especially at night—you should see a doctor. "I'm very aggressive with therapy if patients wake up choking," says Dr. Coyle, adding that he usually recommends acid-suppressing medications like proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, and antacids. (Dr. Coyle is on the Speakers Bureau for Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which markets proton pump inhibitors).

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Your Heartburn Medicine Isn't Working

5 of 12

6 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You sound like you have a cold.

Credit: GARO/Getty Images

You might think you're in the early stages of a cold when your voice starts cracking, but hoarseness can be another heartburn symptom.

If stomach acid is seeping into your esophagus it can irritate your vocal cords, says Dr. Pfanner, who is also a gastroenterologist at Scott & White, in Temple, Texas. Pay attention to when your voice sounds huskier than usual. If it's after you've eaten, you may have reflux.

RELATED: 10 Reasons You Have a Sore Throat

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Your throat is sore.

Credit: Getty Images

A sore throat is another classic cold or flu symptom that might actually be caused by digestive problems.

If your throat tends to ache only after meals, you may have heartburn. Unlike with a cold or the flu, however, this type of sore throat can also be chronic. If you don't develop other symptoms, such as sniffling or sneezing, consider acid reflux.

RELATED: 14 Ways to Soothe a Sore Throat

7 of 12

8 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You have a nagging cough.

Credit: AaronAmat/Getty Images

Many respiratory symptoms, such as chronic cough and wheezing, can also be due to heartburn, likely because stomach acid is getting into your lungs.

If you suspect heartburn is at the root of your breathing difficulties—possibly because it occurs immediately after eating—you may want to talk to your doctor about getting a pH test. The test is an outpatient procedure that measures the amount of acid in your esophagus over a 24-hour period and can help determine if you have acid reflux.

RELATED: 7 Kinds of Coughs and What They Might Mean

8 of 12

9 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Your asthma gets triggered—often.

Credit: Getty Images

The coughing and wheezing from heartburn can get so bad they could become triggers for asthma.

It is not clear, however, if frequent heartburn actually causes people to develop asthma. Although many people who have heartburn also have asthma and vice versa, the reasons for this overlap aren't clear.

Experts think stomach acid can trigger nerves in the chest to constrict your breathing tubes in order to keep acid from entering. Again, a simple pH test to look for acid in your esophagus may help you get to the bottom of the problem.

RELATED: The Top 8 Asthma Triggers and How to Avoid Them

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You feel nauseous after meals often.

Credit: Malte Mueller/Getty Images

Nausea is associated with so many things that it can be hard to attribute it to reflux. But, says Dr. Coyle, "in some people, the only manifestation they have of reflux is nausea. If you have nausea and can't figure out why, one of the things [to] think about is reflux."

And if the nausea tends to come on right after meals, that's even more of an indication that it might be acid reflux. If so, a regular antacid treatment such as an over-the-counter acid-countering medicine could cut down on your discomfort.

RELATED: 10 Natural Ways to Beat Heartburn

10 of 12

11 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Your mouth fills with saliva suddenly.

Credit: David Trood/Getty Images

If your mouth all of a sudden starts producing extra saliva, it could be water brash, which is highly suggestive of acid reflux, Dr. Coyle says.

It involves the same nerves and reflex as when you vomit. "It is your body trying to wash out an irritant in your esophagus," he says.

RELATED: 13 Foods That Fight Acid Reflux

11 of 12

12 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You have trouble swallowing.

Credit: IAN HOOTON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

Over time, the continuous cycle of damage and healing after acid reflux causes scarring, Dr. Pfanner says. This, in turn, causes swelling in the lower-esophagus tissue, resulting in a narrowing of the esophagus and difficulty swallowing.

RELATED: Heartburn and Other GERD Symptoms

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Amanda Gardner

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 12 What is heartburn—and why does it feel so horrible?
2 of 12 You have sharp chest pain.
3 of 12 Your pain is worse when you lie down.
4 of 12 You have pain after eating.
5 of 12 You have a bitter taste in your mouth.
6 of 12 You sound like you have a cold.
7 of 12 Your throat is sore.
8 of 12 You have a nagging cough.
9 of 12 Your asthma gets triggered—often.
10 of 12 You feel nauseous after meals often.
11 of 12 Your mouth fills with saliva suddenly.
12 of 12 You have trouble swallowing.

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

11 Acid Reflux Symptoms You Need to Know—and When to See a Doctor
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.