You probably don't want to hear facts and figures. Can't someone just tell me that soft drinks are bad because they cause too much gas or have some terrible acid that will eat my insides? Well if they did say that, would it wean you off your favorite beverage? Maybe - but unless you feel some strange effects - you're not going to change.

Studies have shown us that drinking soda before we go to bed may cause acid reflux. So if you don't drink it right before bed, you'll be fine - right? Not exactly. Data (and I know you don't want numbers) showed that a quarter of the 15 thousand patients surveyed reported heartburn problems when sleeping. Those who drank pop during the day increased their risk of developing acid reflux at night.

So why do soft drinks have such a bad effect on you? Two elementary reasons - most carbonated drinks are extremely acidic. And, drinking them forces your body to consume carbon dioxide - which causes acid reflux. Once you have acid reflux, these same studies have shown that the sleep medications, Ativan, Valium, Xanax, and Halcion, aggravate the problem. You may have to switch.

GERD, gastro-esophageal reflux disease) is so common to us in America, it's a pity. Only the top pharmaceutical companies are getting good out of the condition. But simply avoiding a soft drink at night may not be the solution. To ask if soft drinks are bad for me is a good question - but when you already have heartburn it may be the less of two evils. Some people think that GERD is normal and that getting on medication is the solution. But that's like saying if you're deficient in asprin - you'll be prone to headaches.

If you are suffering from reflux or heartburn, something is causing that and medicines like Prilosec and Nexium, or H2 Blockers like Tagamet or Zantac, is not addressing the cause. It just makes sense to do everything you can to find the cause and try to stop it. If you don't, you wind up on medication and the consequences of that, or untreated acid reflux, which may cause cancer.

Acid in this case, may actually be the solution - not the problem. The body is producing the acid as a way of solving something totally out of balance. One research shows eating more protein and less carbohydrates does help. Others suggest a low-grain diet and metabolic typing. And as always, curtailing sugar intake and supplementing with vitamin D and garlic seems to work for most people with GERD.

If you are on a proton pump inhibitor like Prilosec or Nexium, you know you can't just stop them cold turkey. One of the complaints is that they do make you dependent. So soft drinks can be bad and can lead to acid reflux. Whether that is worth the pain is up to you.