A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, used to treat sleep apnea, can also relieve the heartburn and chronic cough that often accompany the common sleep disorder, according to a recent study.
Obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder that affects millions worldwide, causes people to briefly and repeatedly stop breathing during sleep. It is associated with an increased risk of a variety of health conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and acid reflux. People with sleep apnea are three times more likely to develop acid reflux than those who don’t have it.
In an observational study, researchers studied 832 patients enrolled in the Icelandic Sleep Apnea Cohort study who were diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea. Before starting CPAP, the patients completed overnight sleep studies and sleep questionnaires, including whether they had heartburn or belching at night.
Two years after starting CPAP treatment, the participants underwent a follow-up medical visit. The researchers then used this new evaluation to determine how regularly each person used CPAP. They found that those who regularly used CPAP were 42% less likely to experience nighttime heartburn compared to those who used CPAP infrequently or not at all. Frequent use of CPAP was also linked to a significant decrease in the risk of morning cough and chronic bronchitis. CPAP use was also associated with a lower risk of wheezing.
The study, funded in part by NHLBI, appeared in the journal ERJ Open Research.