The fastest way to neutralize heartburn at home is to dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of cold water and drink it. This works within minutes because sodium bicarbonate is a base that chemically neutralizes stomach acid on contact. But baking soda isn’t your only option, and it’s not always safe for everyone. Several other strategies can bring relief in under 30 minutes using things you likely already have.
Baking Soda: The Fastest Neutralizer
Baking soda is the closest thing to an over-the-counter antacid you’ll find in your kitchen. The standard dose for heartburn is half a teaspoon to 2.5 teaspoons of the powder dissolved in a full glass of cold water, taken after meals. The daily maximum is 5 teaspoons. Most people feel relief within 5 to 15 minutes as the sodium bicarbonate reacts with hydrochloric acid in the stomach, producing water and carbon dioxide (which is why you may burp afterward).
There are real limits to this remedy. Baking soda is extremely high in sodium, so it’s a poor choice if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or are on a sodium-restricted diet. It can also cause your body to retain water, worsening swelling in the legs or feet. Don’t take it with large amounts of milk, and don’t use it for more than two weeks. If your heartburn keeps returning, that’s a sign something else is going on.
Change Your Position Immediately
If heartburn hits while you’re lying down, how you reposition matters more than you might think. Lying on your left side places your stomach below the point where it connects to the esophagus, making it physically harder for acid to flow upward. Researchers at Amsterdam UMC confirmed that this position measurably reduces acid exposure in the esophagus. Lying on your right side does the opposite, pooling acid near that junction.
Even better than lying on your left side: sit upright or stand. Gravity alone helps drain acid back into the stomach. If you’re in bed, prop your upper body up at an angle using pillows or a wedge. Bending over or slouching on the couch will make things worse, since both positions compress the stomach and push acid upward.
Loosen What You’re Wearing
This one sounds too simple, but it makes a real physiological difference. Tight waistbands, belts, shapewear, and high-waisted jeans compress your stomach and the muscular valve at the top of it (the lower esophageal sphincter). That compression can force the valve open, letting acid escape into the esophagus. Unbuckling your belt or changing into loose pants can reduce that pressure and ease symptoms within minutes, especially if your heartburn started after a large meal when your stomach is already full and distended.
Chew a Piece of Gum
Chewing gum stimulates saliva production, and saliva is your body’s built-in acid neutralizer. It contains bicarbonate, the same compound that makes baking soda effective, just in smaller quantities. A study from the University of Dundee found that chewing gum roughly doubled saliva flow and cut the time it took to clear acid from the esophagus from about 7 minutes down to just over 2 minutes.
Sugar-free gum works fine. Avoid peppermint or spearmint flavors, though, since mint can relax the lower esophageal sphincter and potentially make reflux worse. Fruit-flavored or cinnamon varieties are safer choices. Chew for at least 20 to 30 minutes after eating for the best effect.
Alginate Products: A Physical Barrier
If you have an alginate-based antacid in your medicine cabinet (sold under brand names like Gaviscon), it works differently from standard antacids. Alginates are derived from seaweed and react with stomach acid to form a gel-like raft that floats on top of your stomach contents. This raft physically blocks acid from reaching the esophagus. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this floating layer is light enough to sit on the surface but strong enough to keep acid down. Alginate products tend to work quickly, often within a few minutes, and the barrier can last for hours.
Cold Water and Small Sips
Drinking a glass of plain water can help in two ways. It dilutes the acid sitting in your stomach and helps wash any acid that’s already splashed into the esophagus back down where it belongs. Cold water may feel more soothing on an irritated esophagus. Take small, steady sips rather than gulping, since swallowing large volumes quickly can distend the stomach and temporarily worsen pressure on the valve.
Avoid drinking anything carbonated, caffeinated, or acidic (orange juice, tomato juice, coffee) while you’re symptomatic. All of these can irritate an already-inflamed esophagus or relax the lower esophageal sphincter further.
Skip the Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is one of the most commonly recommended home remedies for heartburn online, but there is zero published research in medical journals supporting its use for acid reflux. Harvard Health Publishing reviewed the evidence and found none. The logic behind it (that heartburn is caused by too little acid, so adding more helps) isn’t supported by science for the vast majority of people experiencing occasional reflux. Vinegar is acidic, and swallowing it while your esophagus is already irritated risks making the burning worse.
What to Do Right After the Burn Fades
Once you’ve gotten relief, avoid lying flat for at least two to three hours. Don’t eat again immediately, and when you do, choose something bland and low in fat. Fatty, spicy, and acidic foods are the most common triggers for a second wave of heartburn. Eating smaller portions puts less pressure on the stomach valve than a large meal does.
If you notice heartburn happening more than twice a week, baking soda and gum are no longer the right tools. Frequent heartburn can damage the lining of the esophagus over time and usually responds well to medications that reduce acid production rather than just neutralizing it after the fact.
Heartburn Pain vs. Something More Serious
Heartburn and heart attacks can feel remarkably similar. Even experienced doctors sometimes can’t distinguish them without testing. Typical heartburn causes a burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen, usually after eating, and often comes with a sour taste in the mouth or a small amount of stomach contents rising into the throat. It generally responds to antacids.
Call emergency services if your chest pain involves pressure, tightness, or squeezing that spreads to your neck, jaw, or arms. Shortness of breath, cold sweats, sudden dizziness, or unusual fatigue alongside chest discomfort are all warning signs that the problem may not be your stomach. These symptoms warrant immediate medical attention, not a glass of baking soda water.