JoHam i can give you some tips to avoid burning in the stomach when you wake up...it might help. As you know the burning is because of the acid irritating your empty stomach for 8 hours if your lucky .....8 hours of sleep !

But depending on the sleeping position you won't feel a burn/heartburn too and its not just lying down on your left side. For me this causes burning in the morning though it helps with reflux...the reason ? that side of my stomach is very eroded i think and weak.. So I tried lying down on my stomach and guess what no heartburn no reflux no burning in the stomach in the morning etc....it seems the front of my stomach's lining is strong enough to take on the acid at night and i wake up normal.

By the way could you tell us which brand are you using. I want to try melatonin so bad since there are some studies of it curing ulcers/helping reflux but scared of the ingredients list.

Hi Gusko.Thank you for your precious advice.I would love to try that.The problem is that Im using the wedge so Im not sure I can try the stomach position.Ive been using the wedge for over a year now and Im scared to give up on it cuz everytime I sleep flat my reflux is horrible and I wake up with my stomach in my throat(I have hernia)and that causes all these nasty symptoms like the heart pounding etc.On the other hand Im soooo sick and tired of sleeping on this wedge because it messes up my spine.Often times I wake up with neck pain or headache so it looks like theres no winning here.Anyway I just wanted to tell you that youre so very right about the left side.Everybody says sleep on the left side when you have gerd but I noticed that minutes after I position myself on my left side I sart to feel the burning unlike when I lie down on my right side which for some reason feels so much more comfortable.Plus my husband is there too that's perhaps why lol.BTW he also hates the wedge(I don't blame him)and so Im now thinking of raising the head of the bed some 8 inches(like its been advise everywhere)instead of using the wedge.I just need to get a new bed first and then I will try to experiment a little bit with it.
As for the melatonin Ive been using the one form Nature Made.I believe you can get this anywhere in the u.s. I don't really remember if I got it in a grocery store healthy food section or from GNC.This Nature Made melatonin has the following ingredients:melatonin, calcium carbonate, maltodextrin,sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate.Seems to be ok with my stomach.Hope it helps!

I had 0 reflux when my gastritis was 100% better hopefully that gives you some hope. I could lie down flat upside down like a bat np ! I dont use a wedge but I do sleep on proped up + on my stomach to keep the acid down and not all over the place in my stomach. I think you gotta find what works for you its individual...the left side and proped up thingie i believed it for months and it wasn't working me for me !

Thanks, ill order that melatonin now looks like that calcium carbonate might help too :)

There you go.Thats what I was thinking to myself:)

I have melatonin chewables but they have citric acid

I was under the assumption chewables bypass the stomach and get absorbed into the bloodstream through the cheeks

Do you think those chewables are ok?

Jane I believe chewables go into your stomach with your saliva.If youre ok with citric acid then yes.Citric acid doesn't bother me in small quantities.

Thank you!

Hi I too have been taking sublingual melatonin (3mg) at bedtime and it does help a lot.. I don't have reflux anymore since I got on Dexilant. I've read that melatonin is also produced in the gut ...

The wedges are not intended for side sleeping at all. Sleeping on your side on a wedge can make all the areas of your back go out of alignment but especailly the sacrum.. You have to stay on your back.

Melatonin is known to help close up the esophagus. That may also be what is happening. It can strengthen it over time as well.

I hope it continues to help you and try not to sleep on your side at all on the wedge.

Yeah I quit using the wedge... using 5 pillows instead. ..

In researching melatonin I came upon this: "Gastritis may be caused if calcium carbonate is taken between meals - this can stimulate rebound acid production in the stomach." Not sure if it's true? I'm debating which melatonin brand to purchase....

I am looking into melatonin also but am concerned buying on the net - how do you know if it is a real product and not fake. Where do you guys purchase yours from. I have checked in our health shop here and they don't have it - they only have melatonin tabs for giving you a tan!!

I sleep on my side with my wedge. I asked the manufacturer if it's ok and they said you can sleep comfortably on either side or your back on their wedge. They also said that most research says the best sleeping position for GERD is left side down.

They told me that the important thing is that you are supported on an even plane through the torso. So although you don't have to be all the way at the top of the wedge for it to work, you do have to make sure the bottom comes at least to your waist so that you don't bend or fold in the middle and put extra pressure on your stomach. They instructed me that their wedges are 32" long so that will not be a problem.
I haven't had any back issues at all sleeping on my side with a wedge. But that's just my experience, and with this particular wedge.