Heartburn doctor appointment: log your nights

For your heartburn appointment you do not need a finished diagnosis, just a few exact answers: how often the symptoms come, at what time, whether they wake you at night and whether anything helped. You can collect those on paper or in the symptom diary in Sam, where you note each day's symptoms with their strength, one tap per day. This post shows what belongs in the list and which symptoms you should not put off.

When do you see a doctor about heartburn?

The NHS says to see a GP when lifestyle changes and pharmacy medicines are not helping, when you have heartburn most days, or when you also have symptoms such as food getting stuck in your throat, frequent vomiting or losing weight for no reason. Guts UK adds: heartburn most days for three weeks or more, or heartburn, indigestion, hiccups or an unpleasant taste lasting three weeks or more.

Chest pain can have several causes. If it is new or severe, especially with pressure, a sense of tightness, breathlessness or cold sweat, call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). You do not have to know whether it is heartburn. For that moment neither a diary nor Sam is the point.

What does the practice ask and check?

The NHS and Guts UK describe the usual steps. Guts UK says the doctor asks about your reflux symptoms and how long you have had them, and may review whether you need acid-reducing medicines. If the medicine does not work or the symptoms come back, a gastroscopy may follow. NICE covers this referral route in its clinical guideline on GORD in adults.

Guts UK notes that many people with reflux symptoms have only mild inflammation or a normal-looking gullet. That is not a reason to leave your log at home. It only makes your account more precise.

Why the nights count extra

Heartburn is often worse after eating, when lying down and when bending over. The NHS lists a returning cough, a hoarse voice and a sour taste among the symptoms of acid reflux. Guts UK says symptoms are commonly worse at night or when lying down, and that night-time reflux can affect sleep.

So one question belongs in your log: did the heartburn wake you last night, or did you wake up coughing or hoarse? How sleep and heartburn can connect is in sleep and heartburn: using Apple Health data. If you also have asthma, GERD and asthma in one app is the matching page.

What do you write down?

Six points are enough:

• When: date and time, daytime or night.
• Which symptom: heartburn, regurgitation, chest discomfort, cough or throat.
• How strong it was, on a scale.
• What came before: food and drink, the time of the last meal, lying down or bending.
• Which remedy you took and whether the symptom went, partly helped or did not help. This post judges no dosage.
• Whether the symptoms woke you at night.

Here is an invented example: "Tue, 3.11., 2 am. Heartburn, strength 6 of 10, woke up. Late dinner at 9.30 pm, straight to bed after. Took a remedy, it helped a little. Hoarse in the morning."

In the reflux diary in Sam, these are the fields once your reflux is confirmed by a doctor: symptom type, strength, keywords for food and circumstances, a night marker and whether the remedy helped. The keywords are your notes. From five entries Sam shows you how often each keyword appeared. That is a count of your own entries, not a verdict on individual foods. How to run the diary in practice is in heartburn and reflux diary, digital.

How do you say it in the practice?

Start with the number, not the story. An invented example: "For three weeks I have had heartburn almost every other day, and it woke me four times at night. The remedy from the pharmacy helped once fully, otherwise only a little. For two weeks I have been hoarse in the morning."

With numbers the practice finds it easier to gauge the situation, and you find it easier not to forget anything. Questions you can take: do I need any tests? When do we look at the course again? What should I keep recording until then? The practice answers those, not this post.

What do you bring?

• Your log, or the report from Sam for the last weeks.
• A list of your medicines, including anything you buy for heartburn.
• Your questions, the most important first.

Collected on one page, it is easier not to forget anything. If you notice cough or hoarseness, add it to the list: the NHS names both as possible companions of acid reflux. If you had chest discomfort after eating, write that down too, even if you are sure it was only heartburn. A general list is in doctor visit checklist for a chronic condition.

When should you not wait?

Worsening heartburn is a reason to contact your doctor (in the UK a GP, in the US your doctor) rather than wait for a planned appointment. The US NIDDK says to see a doctor if symptoms do not get better with over-the-counter medicines or lifestyle changes, or with trouble swallowing, persistent vomiting or unexplained weight loss. Guts UK says to see a GP if food gets stuck, you are frequently sick, you lose weight without meaning to, or swallowing becomes difficult or painful. Those can be signs worth checking early.

For most people heartburn is a nuisance. Guts UK notes that a minority have a risk of complications from severe inflammation. Whether any of that applies to you is a question for your doctor, not for this post.

Log heartburn in Sam and take it to the practice

You walk into the practice with weeks of overview, instead of guessing from memory.

• Instead of paper: each episode is a few taps, with symptom, strength, a night marker and whether your remedy helped.
• Instead of "I think it happens more often": the report counts reflux days, episodes and the nights you were woken.
• Instead of several loose notes: the report for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months or the whole record is ready as a PDF.

Sam records what you report and does not replace an examination. An empty log does not mean there were no symptoms. More in the reflux program.

Try Sam for free

Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or health state. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.

Related reading

• Sleep and heartburn: using Apple Health data well
• Living with GERD: meals, sleep and daily life
• Heartburn and reflux diary, digital
• 24-hour pH impedance test: preparation

Sources

Updated: October 2026

• NIDDK: Symptoms & causes of acid reflux (GER & GERD) in adults
• NHS: Heartburn and acid reflux (last reviewed 20 November 2023)
• Guts UK: Heartburn and Reflux (published September 2025)
• NICE: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and dyspepsia in adults: investigation and management (CG184) (published 2014, updated October 2019)
• NHS: 111 (check symptoms and get urgent advice)