Posted by: Maryland ENT in General
Do you have a lingering cough? Do you often feel an excessive need to clear your throat?
You may have LPR. LPR can cause persistent discomfort and unpleasant symptoms that may impact your quality of life.
Fortunately, getting relief could be as easy as making a few lifestyle changes. Keep reading to learn more about 7 lifestyle changes to try if you suffer from LPR.
What is LPR?
Laryngopharyngeal reflux, or LPR, is a type of acid reflux that occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) or ring of muscle at the end of the esophagus doesn’t close properly. As a result, stomach contents, including acid, back up into your throat, causing irritation and damage to surrounding tissues.
How Can You Tell if You Have LPR?
Laryngopharyngeal reflux may present with early symptoms, but they can often be subtle or mistaken for other conditions. Common symptoms of LPR include:
- Hoarseness
- Postnasal drip
- Chronic cough
- Excessive mucus
- Difficulty breathing
- Trouble swallowing
- Chronic sore throat
- Excessive throat clearing
- New or worsening asthma
- Bitter or sour taste in the throat
- Recurrent upper respiratory infections
- Burning sensation in the back of the throat
- Losing your voice or inflammation of the vocal cords
- A feeling of something constantly stuck in the throat
What Lifestyle Changes Can Ease LPR?
If you have symptoms of LPR, the following lifestyle adjustments can help reduce or prevent your symptoms:
1. Select the Right Foods
Certain foods can impact the severity of laryngopharyngeal reflux. For instance, people who eat a diet high in fatty and sugary foods experience more episodes of laryngopharyngeal reflux.
Finding the proper diet is crucial in managing LPR. Consider avoiding or cutting back on these foods for acid reflux prevention:
- Spicy and acidic foods such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, and salad dressings which can cause stomach contents to travel back into your throat
- High-fat foods such as fatty meats, fried foods, and whole-fat dairy products which can cause the LES to relax, exacerbating LPR symptoms
- Mints and chocolate which can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, worsening LPR
Instead, prioritizing a diet that includes whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and non-citrus fruits and vegetables can help improve laryngopharyngeal reflux. LPR-trigger foods may affect people differently.
On top of changing your diet, keeping a food diary can be particularly helpful for identifying your trigger foods and tracking your symptoms.
2. Adopt Better Eating Habits
Poor eating habits can also aggravate LPR. For example, eating large meals can expand your stomach, increasing pressure against the LES.
Also, lying down soon after eating could make your stomach contents press harder against the lower esophageal sphincter and cause laryngopharyngeal reflux. Therefore, apart from modifying your diet, adjusting your eating habits can also help lessen LPR symptoms.
Eating habits that could help alleviate LPR symptoms may include:
- Eating five to six smaller meals throughout the day rather than three larger meals
- Avoiding lying down or reclining within three to four hours of eating
- Stopping eating two to three hours before bedtime
- Taking your time and eating slowly
3. Change Your Sleep Position
Laryngopharyngeal reflux can disrupt your sleep. By switching up your sleeping position, you can alleviate nocturnal LPR symptoms.
To improve your sleep and LPR, avoid lying on your right side. Sleeping in this position places your stomach above your esophagus and relaxes the LES, permitting stomach acid to flow into your throat.
Similarly, it’s easy for acid to enter your esophagus and throat if you sleep on your back. You can ensure your stomach is below your esophagus, relieve pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter, and reduce reflux by sleeping on your left side.
Additionally, elevate the head end of your bed with about a 4-inch wedge to keep your head raised. Propping up your head while sleeping can further enable gravity to prevent stomach acid from going up.
4. Limit Caffeinated, Citrus-Based, and Carbonated Drinks
Carbonated, citrus-based, and caffeinated beverages such as soda, energy drinks, and coffee can encourage acid production and weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing the backward flow of stomach contents. Limit these drinks as much as possible and opt for herbal teas, water, plant-based milk, non-citrus juices, coconut water, and low-fat milk.
These beverages are much gentler on your digestive system and can decrease LPR symptoms.
5. Manage Your Weight
Excess weight can exert pressure on your stomach, causing stomach contents to flow into your throat. Losing weight can help reduce the pressure on your stomach and symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux.
6. Lower Stress Levels
Stress tends to cause frequent LPR flare-ups. You may also find that your LPR symptoms are more intense when stressed.
Regularly practicing stress reduction and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, or exercise can reduce stress levels. You can also try calming activities such as listening to music and journaling to decrease your stress levels.
7. Quit Smoking
Smoking weakens the lower esophageal sphincter, making it harder for the muscle to stop stomach acid from moving up into your throat. This can cause or worsen symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux.
In addition, smoking may stimulate the production of stomach acid. The excess acid can increase pressure inside your stomach and result in the reflux of this acid into your throat.
Giving up smoking may support the proper function of the lower esophageal sphincter and reduce LPR symptoms. If you need help quitting, you can ask your ENT doctor for tips to help you stop smoking.
Our world-class ENT doctors at Maryland ENT have extensive experience in LPR management. They combine lifestyle changes with the latest advancements to effectively treat LPR and provide long-lasting relief.
Are you experiencing frustrating symptoms of LPR? Schedule your appointment at Maryland ENT in Lutherville and Baltimore, MD, today to get the expert care you need.
