Acid reflux disease, commonly referred to as GERD Gastroesophageal reflux disease, is a condition in which the liquid contents of the stomach refluxes into the esophagus. This liquid can inflame the lining of the esophagus. Although visible signs of inflammation occur in a minority of patients. The regurgitated liquid mostly contains acid and pepsin that are produced by the stomach. Pepsin is an enzyme that begins the digestion of proteins in the stomach. The refluxed liquid may also contain bile that has gone-up into the stomach from the duodenum. Acid reflux disease affects more than 20% of Americans. Some 80% of the 60 million U.S. citizens who have been diagnosed with acid reflux disease describe worse symptoms at night, and three in four say they routinely wake up from sleep because of it.

This relationship 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 the 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 assume that the reflux of acids may be a result of spasms of the vocal cords that can then lead to sleep apnea.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which person has one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while they sleep.

The Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can occur 5 to 30 times or more per hour. Usually, Typically, normal breathing then begins again, occasionally with a loud snort or choking sound.

Sleep apnea usually is a persistent condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights a 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’re awake, the muscles help keep one’s throat stiff and open so air can flow into your lungs easily. When you sleep, these muscles are more relaxed. Usually, the relaxed throat muscles don’t stop the airway from staying open to let air into the lungs.

Acid reflux is more often than not a frequent condition. When it begins, it usually is life-long. If you have injury to the lining of the esophagus then it is a chronic condition. There are a lot of different acid reflux treatments you can consider using. One popular option is Pepcid .