You can not pinpoint to only one heartburn cause. Heartburn can be triggered by so many factors, and that depends on your lifestyle.

Heartburn happens when the acidic stomach contents containing pepsin irritate the esophagus, something which should not happen if the lower esophageal muscle is firmly closed. But as I said, there are many causes that make the LES weaken, paving way for the stomach contents.

So, what causes heartburn?

1. Smoking. Nicotine is found to make the LES relax, cuasing heartburn. If you are a smoker, you are likely to be prone to heartburn by seventy percent, compared to non smokers, and if you are a smoker and already have heartburn, your symptoms will be much worse.

2. Alcohol. Another heartburn cause, this also irritates the esophagus and causes too much production of acids in the body.

3. Fatty food. Fat is the worst digestive stimulant which is hard to digest, which irritates the digestive tract and puts too much pressure on the abdomen, which later causes the LES to relax.

4. Pregnancy and obesity. Having too much pressure around the abdomen will force the stomach contents upwards, causing heartburn to some.

5. Lying down after eating will cause the stomach contents to be pushed to the esophagus instead of staying close down there.

6. Chocolates, tea and coffee have theobromine, a compound found in cocoa, coffee and tea plants, which

is shown to irritate the esophagus.

Now that you know the top heartburn causes, the next thing you should do is to stop heartburn. There are many ways how to get rid of heartburn, you just have to visit my blog for more tips.

And for a natural treatment for heartburn, read “Heartburn No More” By Jeff Martin. The information on the book can be found in my byline.