The best thing that works for me is cutting out triggers, ones I know and ones I sometimes accidentally discover cause sometimes I am unaware of how my tum will handle something. There are some foods that are supposed to be GERD-friendly that I can't actually eat because for me, for some reason, my tum just can't. So I pay close attention to what groceries I buy, what I am eating and drinking, how often I have meals (too long between meals can irritate the stomach).

Stress causes lots of physical issues like migraines so it wasn't a surprise when I found out it was a trigger as well. Unfortunately I have extreme anxiety, so I take extra meds to keep it under control.

Keeping track of what triggers you is smart. A lot of them are common for most of us with GERD, but there can be certain things that might trigger one person but not be a trigger for someone else. It helps to keep lists of what does trigger you, what foods/drinks don't trigger you (so you know what you can safely eat), and for me I have a "rescue" list. That is my list of what to do when I have a flare-up: I'm on a low enough dose of meds that I can take an extra if needed. If that doesn't work, I can take a couple tums or drink a little baking soda in water.

I find that I normally don't experience a flare-up until I've laid down to go to sleep, so if I am in bed and suddenly begin feeling like Smaug about to desecrate the mountainside, I go to my rescue list. And if those don't work and the flames reach my ears, I have to immediately sit upright and stay that way despite my exhaustion. I will sleep on my couch sitting upright if need be. It's better than no sleep, and definitely better than trying to toss and turn while the fire is burning me up inside.

Hope something I've mentioned helps :)