Loading...
Sleep is known to alter gastrointestinal function, but studies have yielded conflicting results regarding sleep’s effect on esophageal sphincter function. In this study, the authors investigated the effect of sleep on function of both the upper and the lower esophageal sphincter (UES and LES) in 10 healthy volunteers who underwent simultaneous polysomnography and manometry. The latter was accomplished via transnasal placement of two multilumened catheters that allowed recording of pharyngeal, UES, esophageal, LES, and gastric pressures.
Subjects were able to sleep an average of 4.3 hours. Average UES pressure decreased during sleep, while LES pressure did not change appreciably. The reduction of UES pressure was most evident during slow-wave…