The Best Bedtime Alternatives to Antacids

You need a good night’s sleep for that big day tomorrow, but your reflux is not quite ready to rest. 

It’s a familiar story: An estimated 70–75% of individuals with acid reflux experience symptoms at some point throughout the night, including coughing, choking, heartburn, and regurgitation. These symptoms are often enough to wake people up or prevent them from sleeping in the first place.

Why does it get so bad at night?

• Lying down relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and allows acid to come up the esophagus more easily.
• Late-night eating leaves undigested food in the stomach at bedtime, forcing your system to digest without the help of gravity. And ideally, the LES should stay closed when food is being digested.
• Saliva production, which protects the esophagus and aids in the digestion process, decreases during sleep.

Some people turn to prescription PPIs or H2 blockers to get through the night, and others manage with over–the-counter options like antacids. These can work well, but medical professionals are increasingly voicing concerns about their long-term effects on our health.

So while it may be tempting to take a handful of Tums, there are better options that do more for you than leave you with fruit-flavored burps.

TL;DR:

• Reflux Gourmet: All-natural alginate relief for regular reflux relief
• Gaviscon Advance: UK version of alginate relief for a quick nighttime drink
• Stomach Soothe: Raw herbal drink that soothes reflux and promotes whole gut healing

How Antacids Work

Our stomachs rely on naturally produced acid for the breakdown and digestion of food. But sometimes, that acid gets unruly. If there’s too much acid or it leaves your stomach, it causes heartburn, indigestion, and reflux — and it can damage your esophagus. 

Antacids work to decrease the amount of acid in your stomach by neutralizing it. It stops enzymes from creating acid, thereby helping calm your stomach. 

But while healthcare professionals support the occasional use of antacids to treat reflux, they do not recommend their regular usage. Frequent use can actually make your body produce more acid and just recreate the cycle. 

So rather than repeating an endless cycle for temporary relief, I started looking at options that would help without neutralizing the stomach acid that we actually need. 

Here’s what I found:

My Top Alternatives for Antacids

1. Reflux Gourmet

Reflux Gourmet is an all-natural alginate supplement that has quickly become a favorite of many people (myself included). It’s made and produced in the U.S., and it has a label with ingredients that we can pronounce. It comes in a gel format that you just swallow a teaspoon of after meals and/or before bed.

If you’ve been on the Tums train and haven’t ever tried alginate, it might just be your new BFF. It comes from brown seaweed and creates a raft (protective layer) that floats on top of the acid in your stomach, keeping it from coming up your esophagus and letting it help digest your food.

It comes in two flavors (my favorite is the Vanilla Caramel, but the Mint Chocolate one is equally tasty) and has travel-size options, which is great if you’re traveling for the holidays or need on-demand relief when you’re out eating. 

I especially love that I don’t have to feel bad about using it regularly. Antacids might not be a good long-term solution, but Reflux Gourmet works by creating a physical barrier instead of altering the chemistry in your stomach. This means it doesn’t really have side effects — after a few hours, it just dissolves and is digested with the rest of your food.

I’ve found that Reflux Gourmet works best for nighttime acid reflux if I take it about 30 minutes before lying down for bed. If I’m having reflux after dinner, I take it a bit earlier. After taking it, it starts working quickly, and I usually feel relief within just a few minutes. 

You can buy it on Amazon for $28 a tube or $32 for a 25-count travel pack.

2. Gaviscon Advance 

Gaviscon Advance comes in both liquid and tablet forms, containing alginate like Reflux Gourmet. It’s been around for quite a while, and it’s even helped in the research done on alginates. 

The liquid version comes in peppermint and aniseed flavors, while the tablets only come in peppermint. If you’re not sure what aniseed is, I’m told it’s like licorice. They definitely don’t taste anything like Reflux Gourmet’s offerings, and I find them a bit more off-putting — more like a typical medicine.

The instructions say to take it at bedtime, but most people say that it’s actually best taken 30 minutes before bed, giving the raft enough time to form before lying down for the night. It’s advertised to last up to four hours, which is in line with what most users say (though this can depend on your nighttime habits). If you drink or snack after taking it, the raft can be compromised, so it’s best to make it the last thing you consume before going to bed.

Here’s where things get a bit tricky, though. Gaviscon Advance is not available stateside. They have regular antacids and other products available, but their alginate supplements are only available to U.K. shoppers. It’s not easy to get them through customs, so if you’re in the U.S., you’ll have better luck with other options on this list. 

But if you’re in the U.K. or want to try your luck at the border, you can buy it from British Essentials for $33.99.

3. Stomach Soothe

If you’re looking for less of an emergency fix and more for long-term healing, Stomach Soothe from Soothe Naturals is another all-natural, chemical-free option. This supplement doesn’t contain alginate, instead relying on a blend of arrowroot, apple, slippery elm bark, green banana, papaya, and L-glutamine. 

I like that a lot of these ingredients came from normal food products, not something cooked up in a lab like many medications. As someone who’s dabbled in way too many reflux remedies, my non-professional opinion is that the arrowroot and slippery elm bark are the key ingredients here for acid reflux — they’re known for being able to soothe sore throats and mild digestive issues.

That said, it’s not a quick fix. Soothe Naturals claims that daily use can help reflux symptoms recede in 1–10 days, so if your case of reflux is mild or if you’re trying to heal long-term damage, this could be a great fit.

The directions recommend that you mix 1–2 tablespoons of the powder into a half-cup of water and then drink it. It’s best done on an empty stomach, so make sure you don’t go to sleep right after dinner (or take it in the morning). 

You can buy it from Soothe Naturals for $39 per pouch.

Choosing the Best Bedtime Alternatives to Antacids

The next time you need fast-acting reflux relief before bed, reach for something like alginates instead of antacids. They work within 30 minutes and are supposedly safe for long-term use.

I like Reflux Gourmet’s option, which provides alginate-powered relief in an all-natural gel that has a sweet taste to finish your evening with. If you’re in the U.K., check out Gaviscon for another popular alginate option. If seaweed isn’t your thing, try Stomach Soothe to get you back on track with your sleep and your gut health.