where do you feel heartburn

You usually feel heartburn as a burning pain in the middle of your chest, not in your heart itself.

Where you feel heartburn

• Center of the chest, behind the breastbone (sternum).

• Upper abdomen, just below the breastbone, sometimes described as a hot or tight feeling.

• It can rise upward toward your throat or neck, causing a burning or sour feeling there.

People often point to a line from the top of the stomach (upper middle belly) up to the center of the chest, and sometimes up into the throat, rather than to the left chest where the heart sits.

What heartburn feels like

• Burning, hot, or sharp discomfort in the middle of the chest.

• May come after eating, when lying down, or when bending over.

• Can be accompanied by a sour, acidic, or bitter taste in the mouth or throat.

A simple example: you eat a heavy or spicy meal, then 30–60 minutes later you feel a burning line behind your breastbone that worsens when you lie flat, sometimes with a sour taste in your throat.

Important warning signs

Heartburn and heart problems can feel similar, so get urgent help (emergency services) if:

• Pain is crushing, heavy, or tight, especially if it spreads to arm, jaw, or back.
• You’re short of breath, sweaty, dizzy, or feel like you might faint.
• Pain is new, severe, or different from your usual heartburn.

For frequent heartburn (more than twice a week), trouble swallowing, unintentional weight loss, vomiting, or pain that wakes you at night, see a doctor soon, as this can signal more serious reflux disease or other conditions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.