Who has not bolted upright in the night, woke up by an abrupt and terrible burning sensation in the pit of their stomach? Whether you indulged in some overly spicy chili, or overdid it on those late-night leftovers, these fast heartburn remedies will soothe your fiery stomach and help you get back to sleep!

1. The first thing you will want to do when you are awakened by heartburn pain, is to stand up. This helps keep the acid at bay while you go and get a full glass of cool water.

2. Drink the complete glass of water, and follow it with a mixture of 1 tablespoonful of baking soda, and one-half a glass of water. Be careful though, if you’ve high blood pressure or are pregnant, this could cause water retention or increase your blood pressure.

3. Do not drink milk or suck on mints to relieve heartburn. Milk may feel nice and cool going down, but it actually contains fats and proteins that cause your stomach to release MORE acid and make your heartburn worse! Mints, while they might feel soothing, actually relax the small valve between your esophagus and stomach, whose purpose it is to actually KEEP acid at bay! When this valve is relaxed, more acid can seep up and aggravate heartburn symptoms!

4. This is going to sound unusual, but downing a teaspoonful of vinegar could help soothe heartburn straightaway! Why give your belly MORE acid when it already seems to have plenty, you ask? Occasionally, heartburn is caused as a result of insufficient acid, and vinegar helps quell indigestion by giving your stomach a little extra “juice” (no pun intended!) to do its job!

5. Certain foods could cause nighttime heartburn, including: soda or beverages with caffeine (which you should not be drinking before bed anyhow!), alcohol, garlic, chocolate (sorry!), citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato-based products. Avoiding these types of food could help ease your indigestion if you oftentimes find yourself awakened with that intolerable burning!

6. Consuming a banana daily works like an antacid to soothe heartburn. If you are already stricken with indigestion, eating pineapple or papaya (or drinking the juice) may help settle your stomach naturally. A few people also claim that consuming a teaspoonful of mustard (yuck!) Could work immediately.

7. Avoid eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed. Those late night snacks may keep your stomach busy all night and prevent you from easing into a deep, restful sleep. You might also find that sleeping on your left side or sleeping at a slightly upright angle could keep acid down where it belongs.

If you’re awakened by heartburn regularly, or the pain is severe, or if you’ve heartburn with throwing up, you will want to consult your physician at once as it might be a sign of a more serious condition such as an ulcer. Most importantly, avoid spicy, fatty and caffeine-containing foods before bed, and you should be able to drift off to sleep easily.

Sweet dreams!