Early Morning Ruminations

It is simply amazing to me how much clarity and insight comes with a semi awake state at some ungodly hour in the morning. I think that there is a connection between the states of being awake and not quite awake that enables the conscious and the unconscious brain portions to communicate better.

I was woken this morning by the stirrings of reflux. It was 3:30 am. Having learnt that it is simply not safe to ignore the warnings I immediately rose from my bed, as quietly as possible of course, and headed directly to the kitchen where several glasses of water were consumed. This was followed immediately by sucking on a Mylanta tablet and then a sit down in a comfortable arm chair to await developments. If the warning signs are recognised early enough then the remedial action settles the acid in the stomach (and of course now the new pseudo oesophagus) and all is well. If the recognition is just a tad late then the coughing begins. This is a way of trying to clear one's throat of the bitter and acrid stuff that seems to inhibit breathing, especially deep breathing. Once the residue of the reflux is somehow neutralised and/or coughed away from the breathing tube all is well again until the next attack.

I came slowly to the realisation that the timing of this event was of great importance. Whenever I seem to have food later than 8:00 pm, any possible reflux action seems to happen at around this time. So if one is to count down the hours it takes around 7 hours for the acid buildup in the system to, come to the fore, so to speak.

Naturally it is also accompanied by a supine position for at least 3-4 of those hours following the retirement to one's bed. I started to ask myself questions whether the content of the food intake had anything to do with the reaction. I suspect that it does. I have noticed for example that if the intake comprises of fruit and/or nuts or some other vegetable matter then there is no reflux that accompanies it, ever! If however the intake comprises some carbohydrate and/or fats or oils then the chances for an attack of reflux increases - with or without the intake being spicy.
I wonder if there are others out there who would like to share experiences?