Basically, chronic heartburn is where the problem lasts for long periods of time and it occurs with a much greater frequency. If you suffer from extremely painful heartburn more than twice a week, then you are suffering from chronic heartburn. It is also a sign of a much more serious illness. Heartburn is also called acid reflux, pyrosis, and even acid indigestion just to name a few. Try to reduce your overall food intake and lose some of your weight by exercising. Doing so will help reduce the amount of acid produced in your stomach, which will in turn decrease your chances of experiencing heartburn. The second is to eat healthy. If you can, you should try and maintain a food diary. You also have to lessen your consumption of food that damages the esophagus, such as spicy food, tomatoes, citrus juices and fruits, and even tomato sauces. After a big meal, you need to take a rest for at least 2 to 3 hours. Avoid doing any activities that forces acid back in to the esophagus, such as lifting, straining, and coughing. If you experience moderate to severe heartburn, you may want to keep these heartburn management tips in mind. Doing so will enable you to lessen the frequency of heartburn and also provide you with partial or temporary relief. The first is to eat more meals a day but in smaller servings rather than having 3 large meals a day. This is what you don t want to happen when you are already lying down your bed getting ready to go to sleep. You should also avoid going to bed on a full stomach. You need to allow your stomach at least 3 hours before you turn in. As much as possible, you have to avoid lying down after eating dinner. The specialist may also conduct a diagnosis where they will test the strength of your LES muscle, which is basically a valve that separates the stomach acid from your esophagus. This test is called esophageal manometry. You may also be subjected to a procedure called the 24 hours pH monitoring. This measures the strength of your stomach acid and a thin tube will be passed through your nose and in to your esophagus.