Avoiding foods 3 hours before bedtime, elevating your head, using a wedge pillow, and monitoring your eating habits are among some of the ways to help improve sleep with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

GERD is a chronic condition in which stomach acid flows up your esophagus. This may cause symptoms that could disrupt your sleep, such as heartburn, irritation, and acid reflux.

When you’re lying down, less gravity helps move food through your digestive system. This may also cause acid to linger in your esophagus, leading to GERD symptoms.

Approximately 80% of people with GERD experience symptoms at night. For 1 in 4 people, these may cause sleep disturbances, such as:

  • decreased sleep duration and quality
  • difficulty falling asleep
  • increased restlessness

Several sleeping conditions have also been associated with GERD, such as sleep apnea.

Sleep is vital for your overall health, and sleeping disturbances may affect your quality of life.

Keep reading to learn more about the lifestyle changes you can make to help improve your sleep if you have GERD.

Some foods and beverages may increase symptoms of GERD. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD), these may include:

  • high fat, spicy, and acidic foods
  • chocolate
  • mint
  • caffeine, such as coffee and tea
  • alcohol

Avoiding these foods at dinnertime could help prevent GERD symptoms at night, which may help improve your sleep.

A 2023 review suggests prioritizing the following foods in your diet if you have GERD:

Some eating habits have been associated with exacerbating GERD symptoms.

A 2023 review suggests eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day instead of three large meals. This may help reduce stomach pressure and promote digestive activity.

Similarly, a 2019 review found that eating beyond fullness and too quickly were among the habits most likely to trigger symptoms of GERD.

The authors note that eating large amounts of food and chewing infrequently may damage the esophagus. These eating behaviors may also slow down digestion, which may increase the amount of acid that regurgitates back up in the esophagus.

Lying down soon after eating may cause GERD symptoms to flare up and disturb your sleep.

Waiting to lie down may be one of the most effective ways to prevent sleep disturbances from GERD.

There’s no specific guidance on how long you should wait before lying down after eating. However, research suggests that lying down within 2 to 3 hours after eating may trigger nighttime symptoms of GERD.

The NIDDKD also recommends waiting at least 3 hours.

Some tips to help you delay lying down soon after eating include:

  • eating dinner earlier
  • taking a short walk outside
  • doing the dishes
  • putting away laundry

This could help give your digestive system enough time to start processing your last meal.

Sleeping on a large, wedge-shaped pillow may be effective in managing GERD-related sleep problems because it keeps you partially upright. This could help create more resistance to the flow of acid.

Research suggests that using a wedge pillow between 8 to 22 centimeters (cm) in height may help prop your head up and prevent GERD symptoms at night.

You may find a sleep wedge pillow at a wide range of stores, such as bedding stores, maternity shops, and pharmacies.

Inclining your bed or propping your head up could help reduce the chance of stomach acid rising into your throat during the night.

You can try using bed blocks that are between 20 to 28 cm. These are small, column-like platforms that you can place under the legs of your bed.

It’s important to only place the bed blocks under the two legs at the top of your bed, where your head is. The goal is to ensure that your head is higher than your feet.

You can find bed blocks at most home accessory stores.

Sleeping on your left side may help minimize acid reflux and GERD symptoms at night, which could help improve your sleep.

The authors of a 2023 review suggest this may be because when sleeping on the right side, your stomach is above the esophagus. This could result in delayed gastric emptying and increase the amount of esophageal acid exposure.

A 2016 review found that sleeping on your left side reduces esophageal acid exposure by up to 71%.

Some other tips may also help improve your sleep:

  • Weight management: A 2022 review suggests that weight management plays a key role in improving GERD symptoms, especially if you have obesity or overweight.
  • Breathing exercises: Practicing diaphragmatic breathing exercises could help improve the quality of sleep, reduce GERD symptoms, and increase quality of life.
  • Try over-the-counter (OTC) medications: If natural remedies don’t help improve GERD symptoms at night, some OTC medications may provide quick relief.

Does acid reflux affect your sleep?

Acid reflux may cause sleep disturbances. Up to 80% of people with GERD experience heartburn and acid reflux at night, which may cause sleep disturbances.

What is the fastest way to neutralize stomach acid?

OTC medications with sodium bicarbonate can quickly neutralize stomach acid that causes symptoms like heartburn.

How do I stop acid reflux at night?

Some ways to help stop acid reflux at night include raising your head, using a wedge pillow, sleeping on your left side, and taking OTC medications.

GERD symptoms can significantly impact the quality of your sleep.

However, some measures — like raising your head, avoiding trigger foods, and sleeping on your left side — may help improve your symptoms.

If natural remedies and OTC medications don’t help, speak with a healthcare professional. They can help develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.