Hiatal Hernia

Home Treatment

If you have a sliding hiatal hernia, usually no treatment is necessary. But you may have occasional or mild symptoms—a feeling of burning, warmth, heat, or pain behind the breastbone (commonly known as heartburn).

You can make changes to your lifestyle to help relieve your symptoms of heartburn. Here are some things to try:

• Change your eating habits.
  • It’s best to eat several small meals instead of two or three large meals.
  • After you eat, wait 2 to 3 hours before you lie down. Late-night snacks aren't a good idea.
  • Chocolate, mint, and alcohol can make heartburn worse. They relax the valve between the esophagus and the stomach.
  • Spicy foods, foods that have a lot of acid (like tomatoes and oranges), and coffee can make heartburn symptoms worse in some people. If your symptoms are worse after you eat a certain food, you may want to stop eating that food to see if your symptoms get better.
• Do not smoke or chew tobacco.
• If you get heartburn at night, raise the head of your bed 6 in (15 cm) to 8 in (20 cm) by putting the frame on blocks or placing a foam wedge under the head of your mattress. (Adding extra pillows does not work.)
• Avoid or reduce pressure on your stomach. Do not wear tight clothing around your middle. Lose weight if you need to. Losing just 5 to 10 pounds can help.

Along with making lifestyle changes, taking nonprescription medicines may control mild or occasional heartburn. These medicines include acid reducers or blockers and antacids.

If you have symptoms that last longer and occur more often than ordinary heartburn, you probably have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Hiatal hernia and GERD often occur together. Your symptoms may vary from mild to severe. For more information, see the topic Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

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Author:	Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: March 24, 2008
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology
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