Mar 18 2010
What Is Sleep Apnea and Acid Reflux
Acid reflux disease, commonly referred to as acid reflux, is a condition in which the liquid contents of the stomach regurgitates into the esophagus. This contents can harm the lining of your esophagus. Although visible signs of irritation occur in a minority of patients. The regurgitated liquid usually contains acid and pepsin that are produced by the stomach. Pepsin is an enzyme that starts the digestion of proteins in the stomach. The refluxed liquid also may contain bile that has gone-up into the stomach from the duodenum. Acid reflux disease involves more than 20% of Americans. Some 80% of the 60 million Americans who have been diagnosed with acid reflux disease recount being worse at night, and three out of four say they routinely wake up from sleep because of it.
This connection between sleep apnea and acid reflux makes perfect sense because when you’re awake, gravity helps keep acids required to digest food down where they belong, in the stomach. But when you’re lying down, these acids can wash back into the esophagus, damaging its lining and significantly boosting the risk of esophageal cancer.
A few researchers think that sleep apnea is caused by airway pressure changes that can cause acid reflux to occur, yet other researchers think that the reflux of acids may be a result of spasms of the vocal cords that can then lead to sleep apnea.
Common Causes Of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.
The Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They can occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Normally, normal breathing then starts again, occasionally with a loud snort or choking sound.
Sleep apnea usually is a persistent condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights of the week.
This disturbance causes poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
When we are awake, the muscles help keep one’s airway stiff and open so air can flow into your lungs easily. When you sleep, these muscles are more relaxed. Normally, the relaxed throat muscles won’t stop the airway from staying open to let air into the lungs.
Acid reflux is usually a chronic condition. After it begins, it is usually a life-long condition If you have injury to the lining of the esophagus this also is a chronic condition. There are many different acid reflux treatment options. One of these is Protonix .
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