Heartburn is a burning sensation in the lower chest along with a bitter or sour taste in the throat and mouth. It usually occurs after having a meal or in night while sleeping. This happens when stomach acid flows backwards into the food pipe (esophagus). The symptoms could last from a few minutes to few hours. Drinking plenty of water may help alleviate the symptoms of heartburn.

Water neutralizes and rinse out stomach acid that was flown backwards into the food pipe. If you experience heartburn, drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water every day before your meals. You should not drink water during meal, it can worsen your heartburn symptoms. When you experience heartburn, drink a glass full of cold water, it helps to neutralize and stabilize the body fluids. Cold water will also calm down your throat and the feeling of burning in the chest.

You should avoid alcohol and flavored water, as they can worsen your heartburn. Caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee may also have the same effect on acid reflux symptoms.

Your stomach needs an acidic environment in order to digest the food. When you drink water during the meal, it dilutes the stomach acid and cause incomplete digestion of food. This will make undigested food to stay longer in the stomach and increases the probability of heartburn. Also, drinking water along with the meals over fill the belly and relaxes the LES muscles. When LES gets relaxed, stomach acid flows back into your food pipe. Always drink as much water as possible in between the meals, but not during or after a meal.