Will CPAP help my acid reflux

Most GERD comes from a 'mechanical' problem with the lower esophageal sphincter. (LES). When the sphincter (valve) isn't working properly or is wide open, acid is allowed to travel up the esophagus causing acid reflux. CPAP can't fix this. Only surgery will permanently fix this problem. Meds will reduce the amount of acid produced which often relieves symptoms. The only way CPAP may possibly help is that the air pressure force may reduce the amount of acid traveling up the esophagus. This would only help while using the CPAP.

I had quite severe GERD and required PPI to manage it, but it still did not go away. I got into good habits like not having major food intake close to bed time.

The good news is that I have not had any GERD symptoms since being on CPAP and I no longer take PPIs.

Hope it improves for you.

Apnea can aggravate or even cause GERD or GERD-like symptoms. However, just because you have GERD doesn't mean CPAP will help.

It seems to me that almost any medical problem might be helped by getting enough sleep and not having nightly desats. The GERD might not be caused by these problems, but they may be preventing your body's homeostatic mechanisms from taking care of what is causing the acid reflux.

Years ago, my doctor told me of a study which showed that most people with GERD had weak digestive juices. The link between the two was not clear that the time, though perhaps a web search will turn up further developments. But she suggested I take digestive enzymes with my meals, and this helped quite a bit. I know it seems paradoxical to make the contents of your stomach stronger when they're damaging your throat already, but it worked for me.

In the years since, I've realized that getting enough lipase is particular important for me, probably because I eat a lot of cheese, and the natural lipase in the milk is destroyed by pasteurization. I've been using Enzymedica Digest Basic lately, and plan to experiment with a lipase-only supplement as soon as i can get a round tuit.

Eating plenty of greens helps too. Again I don't know why, but the GERD seemed to come back if I didn't eat salad for a couple days. I'm not sure if that's still true, as I've developed a major lettuce habit.

I have to say...one of the greatest benefits to me after I started CPAP was my reflux went away! I am now eating spicy foods again and am loving it!

It did mine. That was the last straw that led me to ask my doc for a sleep study. I knew something was going on while I was sleeping, just didn't know what. I would wake up feeling like I had been sucking and/or swallowing all night, like my tongue was stuck to my soft palate all night. This article is what I had come to believe.

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/10/com ... -face.html
...Pressure sensors placed inside sleep apnea patients reveal that every time an apnea occurs, a tremendous vacuum effect is created inside the chest and throat, which literally suctions up your normal stomach juices into your esophagus and throat. ...

There is also evidence that (if you are overweight) CPAP can help with weight loss, and therefore assist in reducing GERD symptoms. Losing weight doesn't correct GERD, as it's caused by a physiological issue, but it can reduce the symptoms.

TalonNYC wrote:There is also evidence that (if you are overweight) CPAP can help with weight loss, and therefore assist in reducing GERD symptoms. Losing weight doesn't correct GERD, as it's caused by a physiological issue, but it can reduce the symptoms.

Yep. Yep. I'm really hoping that CPAP will help with my weight issues brought on after my OSA got really bad.

A nice side benefit of CPAP has been that it has virtually eliminated my GERD at night. Like BlackSpinner, I was frequently waking up choking on acid that I had sucked down my windpipe, probably because of apneas. I now sleep through the night and haven't been woken up once by heart burn. I still take the PPI's because I still get reflux during the day if I don't, but it has really helped the nighttime GERD symptoms!