ABSTRACT
The manifestation of gastrointestinal symptoms during sleep is quite familiar to the practicing gastroenterologist. Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) events do occur during sleep, but appear to occur most commonly during brief arousals from sleep. Attention has been focused on the importance of different patterns of GER associated with waking and sleeping. The results revealed that sleep infusions in both groups were associated with a statistically significant prolongation of acid clearance time. To evaluate the motor functioning of the esophagus during sleep and the associated arousals from sleep, a subsequent study was performed using a specially designed esophageal probe to monitor not only distal esophageal pH, but also esophageal peristalsis. The question remains as to what is the pathogenesis of increased sleep-related GER in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The pathogenesis and treatment of these disorders rely on the control of acid secretion during sleep.
