Just about everyone will experience heartburn once in their life. This could be the result of a late night spicy meal or in the case of a woman, in her late stages of pregnancy. Whatever the reason, you get that uncomfortable burning feeling in your chest. Have you fallen victim to heartburn or gastroesophageal disease (GERD)?

Sometimes that burning sensation lingers on and that simple heartburn has become a disease and is both emotionally and physically wreaking your life through sleep deprivation and discomfort on a regular basis.

Whether you have heartburn or GERD is often determined by how frequently your symptoms occur. In milder cases some over-the-counter medication will cure the problem, but if you do not get any relief you may require a better solution.

People suffering from GERD will develop heartburn more than twice a week with the burning effect lasting a long time. If this is you then it is not just a simple case of indigestion but chronic.

Those experiencing a more serious problem have a hard time swallowing while they have that burning sensation. With this condition, simple antacids may not give you the relief you desire.

Not only does heartburn occur at night, it can also happen during the day time. Most GERD sufferers experience heartburn at night either disturbing their sleep or keeping them awake.

You may want to keep track of your heartburn symptoms, their severity and frequency plus anything that may have started the heartburn. You will need this information if you end up going to a doctor for help in curing your GERD.

Do not let your heartburn ruin your quality of life. With new advances in the treatment of GERD either through medications or surgery you do not have to continue suffering. You have to be in command of your heartburn or gastroesophageal disease by finding a solution that will work for you.