Treatment for uncontrollable snoring might help lessen respiratory and heartburn symptoms at night

A study published in the journal ERJ Open Research suggested that treating obstructive sleep apnoea OSA can also lessen nighttime heartburn coughing and wheezingPeople who have OSA frequently snore loudly they may wake up multiple times during the night and their breathing may start and stop This results in fatigue in addition to raising the risk of high blood pressure stroke heart disease and type 2 diabetesContinuous positive airway pressure CPAP machines work by blowing air through a face mask throughout the night to prevent the users airway from closing CPAP is offered to people with OSA to help them sleep better but the new research suggests that the treatment may bring extra benefitsThe study was led by Professor Thorarinn Gislason from the department of sleep at Landspitali The National University Hospital of Iceland in ReykjavAtildeshyk He said When we experience heartburn or acid reflux we are feeling stomach acid travelling up toward the throat People with obstructive sleep apnoea are three times more likely to suffer regularly with nighttime heartburn Respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing are also more commonProfessor Gislason and his colleagues used data from the Icelandic Sleep Apnea Cohort study including 822 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe OSA Before starting CPAP treatment the patients took part in an overnight sleep study and answered detailed sleep questionnaires including whether they had heartburn or belching at nightTwo years after beginning CPAP treatment participants returned for a followup visit with new evaluation Researchers were also able to measure how regularly each person used CPAP via data stored by the CPAP machinesThe study showed that people who were regularly using the CPAP machines were around 4237 less likely to suffer with nighttime heartburn compared to those who used the machines a little or not at all This decrease in reflux among CPAP users seemed to result in more than a fourfold decrease in the risk of productive morning cough and almost a fourfold decrease in the risk of chronic bronchitisRegular CPAP users were also less likely to suffer with wheezing but the data suggests this was a direct result of the treatment rather than being caused by the reduction in nighttime refluxResearchers say that because CPAP treatment keeps the upper airway open during sleep this probably helps the valve between the stomach and the food pipe to keep closed which could stop acid from leaking out of the stomachProfessor Gislason said Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common condition and although we have good ways to diagnose and treat it many people do not realise they have this problemIm 71 years old and I have been a specialist lung doctor all my working life I have seen many patients with recurrent respiratory symptoms who have been diagnosed with OSA and recovered when they got CPAP treatmentSnoring frequent waking and daytime tiredness are established signs of OSA This study suggests that coughing and wheezing that do not get better with the usual treatments and nighttime reflux should also be considered as possible signs of OSA that may require CPAP treatmentProfessor Winfried Randerath Head of the European Respiratory Societys Assembly on sleep disordered breathing who was not involved in the research said OSA may manifest as loud snoring at night and daytime sleepiness but research is showing that its effects can be widespread and serious This study adds to our understanding of the risks of OSA but it also shows how using CPAP treatment can help to reduce those risksPeople who think they may have OSA should speak to their doctor Those who have been diagnosed and offered CPAP treatment should try to use the machine regularly as we are learning more and more about the health benefits that CPAP can bringThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever