A half teaspoon of baking soda stirred into a glass of water is one of the fastest home remedies for heartburn, often neutralizing stomach acid within minutes. But it’s far from your only option. Several simple strategies, from what you chew to how you sleep, can ease that burning sensation without a trip to the pharmacy.
Baking Soda for Fast Relief
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) works because it’s a basic compound that directly neutralizes hydrochloric acid in your stomach. The Mayo Clinic recommends half a teaspoon dissolved in a full glass of water, taken no more than every two hours. Don’t exceed five teaspoons in a single day. It tastes salty and mildly unpleasant, but relief typically comes within 5 to 15 minutes.
This is a short-term fix, not a daily habit. Baking soda is extremely high in sodium, so frequent use can raise blood pressure and disrupt the balance of electrolytes in your body. If you’re reaching for it more than a couple of times a week, that’s a sign the underlying problem needs more attention than a kitchen remedy can provide.
Chewing Gum After Meals
Sugar-free gum is a surprisingly effective option. Chewing stimulates your salivary glands, and saliva is mildly alkaline. Swallowing that extra saliva helps wash acid back down out of the esophagus and neutralize what’s already there. A study from King’s College London found that chewing gum for 30 minutes after a meal improved acid clearance in people with reflux symptoms. The mechanism is simple: more chewing means more swallowing, which physically pushes acid back where it belongs.
Stick with sugar-free varieties, and avoid mint flavors. Peppermint and spearmint can relax the muscular valve between your esophagus and stomach, which is the exact opposite of what you want.
Chamomile and Ginger Tea
A warm cup of chamomile tea after dinner or before bed can soothe mild heartburn. Chamomile contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that may help calm irritated tissue in the esophagus. It won’t neutralize acid as quickly as baking soda, but it’s gentler and more pleasant as a nightly routine.
One caution: chamomile has natural blood-thinning properties. If you take warfarin or other anticoagulant medications, skip it. The same applies if you’re allergic to ragweed or other plants in the daisy family.
Ginger tea is another option. Fresh ginger has long been used to settle the stomach, and small amounts (a thumb-sized piece steeped in hot water) can ease nausea and mild reflux. Too much ginger, though, can backfire and irritate the stomach lining, so keep it moderate.
Loosen Your Waistband
This one sounds too simple to matter, but tight clothing around your midsection genuinely worsens heartburn. A study published in the journal Gastroenterology found that wearing a snug belt after a meal doubled the number of reflux episodes, going from an average of 2 events without the belt to 4 with it. Even more striking, acid exposure in the lower esophagus increased roughly eightfold when the belt was tightened.
The reason is mechanical. Tight waistbands, shapewear, and high-waisted jeans compress your abdomen, squeezing the stomach and forcing its contents upward. If you notice heartburn tends to hit after meals, try switching to looser pants or unbuckling your belt a notch while you digest.
Change How You Sleep
Nighttime heartburn responds well to two adjustments: elevating your head and sleeping on your left side.
Raising the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches uses gravity to keep acid in your stomach. Place blocks or a foam wedge under the mattress or bed frame. Extra pillows alone don’t work as well because they bend you at the waist rather than creating a gentle, full-body incline.
Sleeping on your left side also helps. The American Gastroenterological Association specifically recommends this position because of how the stomach sits in your body. When you lie on your left, the junction between your esophagus and stomach sits above the level of stomach acid. Roll to your right, and that junction dips below the acid line, making reflux far more likely. If you’re a back or right-side sleeper with frequent nighttime heartburn, training yourself to sleep on your left can make a noticeable difference within a few nights.
DGL Licorice
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, usually sold as DGL chewable tablets, takes a different approach than acid neutralizers. Instead of countering the acid itself, DGL appears to boost mucus production in the stomach and esophagus. That extra mucus acts as a protective barrier, shielding irritated tissue from acid and giving it a chance to heal. A 2014 study confirmed that DGL promoted increased mucus activity in the digestive tract.
Because DGL is a supplement and not regulated by the FDA, quality and potency vary between brands. The modified form (with the glycyrrhizin removed) is specifically designed to avoid the blood pressure spikes that regular licorice root can cause, so make sure the label specifies “deglycyrrhizinated.”
What Doesn’t Work: Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is one of the most widely recommended home remedies for heartburn online, but the evidence behind it is essentially nonexistent. Harvard Health Publishing noted that no studies published in medical journals have tested whether raw apple cider vinegar actually helps heartburn. The logic behind it (that heartburn is caused by too little acid rather than too much) doesn’t hold up for the vast majority of cases. Worse, swallowing an acidic liquid when your esophagus is already irritated can damage tooth enamel and further inflame the esophageal lining.
Habits That Prevent the Next Episode
Home remedies work best alongside a few behavioral changes. Eating smaller meals reduces the volume of acid your stomach produces at any given time. Finishing dinner at least two to three hours before lying down gives your stomach time to empty. Common trigger foods include tomato-based sauces, citrus, chocolate, fried or fatty foods, coffee, and alcohol. You don’t necessarily need to eliminate all of them, but paying attention to which ones precede your worst episodes lets you make targeted cuts rather than overhauling your entire diet.
Excess weight around the midsection puts constant pressure on the stomach, much like a tight belt does. Even modest weight loss (10 to 15 pounds for someone who’s overweight) can reduce the frequency and severity of reflux episodes significantly.
When Heartburn Signals Something Else
Occasional heartburn is common and usually harmless. But chest pain that comes with shortness of breath, cold sweats, lightheadedness, or pain radiating to your jaw, neck, or arm can signal a heart attack rather than simple indigestion. Women are especially likely to experience these less obvious symptoms rather than the classic “crushing chest pain.” Both heartburn and heart attacks can produce symptoms that come and go, so brief duration alone doesn’t rule out something serious. If chest pain is persistent or accompanied by any of those additional symptoms, call 911 rather than reaching for the baking soda.