cant sleep at night

I'm really getting tired of waking up in the middle of night choking on my stomach contents. I have my bed angled up, but it only helps so much. if I angle it up much steeper I just wind up in a ball at the foot board. Ive also spent many nights trying to dose off sitting in an arm chair, but its a lousy way to sleep. has any one else found any thing else that helps with this problem.

also i don't don't eat or drink a thing 3 hours before I go to bed, and I still have the above problem


i am on nexium to try and control things a bit.

oh im nexium 2x a day, i've been on it for years now. severe esophageal reflux with a hiatial hernia. my lower esophageal sphincter pretty much stays wide open, however I'm not considered a Baretts case yet,

I'm actually considered a candidate for surgery, but theres still a couple year waiting list to get in. its one of the things with our great medical system up here in Canada, i get the surgery for free but Ill have to wait until im half dead to get it. there was a 13 month wait just to a see specialist.

just hoping to ease my symptoms in the meanwhile, inhaling my gastric contents on regular basis cant be good for my lungs.

Oh my, a couple of year wait,  how can that be ?  I would check into the need for surgery sooner.  As I am not familiar with how things work in Canada but a 2 year wait seems extreme.

I have read statistics that there is wait of  62 weeks for a hip replacement,  62 weeks for general surgery, 30 weeks for MRI scans and 54 weeks for knee replacement surgery.  These stats were for Alberta and Calgary from 2004 but it appears they have not improved  but lengthened in waiting time. 

It seems health care is a major concern for many countries.

Take care and let us know how you are doing.

Kindly,

Kitt

I usually wake up around 4am every night from stomach acid reaching my throat. I also have my bed inclined to the max, and that helps, but as you say, won't prevent everything.

What I do is keep a glass of water on my nightstand, and when I wake up in the night, I take a big drink of water to wash the acid back down and dilute it. That's no magic bullet, but it takes the edge off and usually lets me get a couple more hours of sleep.

You can also try to reduce any pressure that's being placed on your stomach during the night. If you're overweight, drop off the pounds so they don't press on your stomach. If you wear pajamas with a tight elastic waistband, switch to something else that won't squeeze on the stomach, like a union suit or loosely tied waistband.

It's also important to train yourself to sleep on your back. Some say it's okay to sleep on your left side, but I find sleeping on either side puts some pressure on the stomach, and if your LES is open, that will push acid up.

You could also experiment with eating something that's fast digesting closer to bedtime. By not eating three hours before bedtime, you're trying to go without food for a long amount of time, and your body will get hungry in the middle of the night and start making acid. Sometimes I find I sleep better and have less acid during the night if I eat a little yogurt near bedtime, especially on nights where I'm feeling extra hungry at bedtime.