Positioning the Esophagus Part 2

The American College of Gastroenterology recommends raising the head of the bed by 6” – 10”  to combat acid reflux. I, personally, suffered for a number of years not even knowing I had a severe form of acid reflux called GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Finally, I went to my doctor who informed me of this condition and recommended a specific diet, weight loss, raising the head of my bed, and (easiest of all) popping a pill.  In my case, the pill helped somewhat but didn't completely help my nighttime reflux; the medication manufacturers actually advise you to lift the head of the bed.

I suffered for many more years before I actually figured out how to lift the head of my bed in a simple, safe, practical manner. I designed Reflux Guard©  because the medication, which I had expected to be the panacea to my problems, didn't help enough at night. Although I didn't expect much, by the second night, I started to feel better and didn't suffer from nighttime reflux. Within a week I was a different person!

I suffered for many years before I actually figured out how to lift the head of my bed in a simple, safe, practical manner. I designed Reflux Guard© because the medication didn’t quite help with nighttime Acid Reflux. Since the medication wasn't working and I was still in agony, I needed to figure out how to get some sort of relief.  I never thought Reflux Guard© would be the panacea to my nighttime agony, but I did need to try something different. I hoped for some little improvement so I could get a decent night’s sleep. As it turns out Reflux Guard© worked better then I had ever imagined and now don’t travel without it. By the second night I started to feel better and now hardly ever suffer from nighttime Acid Reflux. Within a week I was a different person.

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Our next post will about how Acid Reflux effects you teeth and what you can do about it. Don't let it ruin your teeth or smile.
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Positioning the Esophagus

“Due to the anatomic factors that I discussed in the prior chapter, for some people who are more susceptible, problems can arise when you are in deep sleep (or REM sleep), and when you are on your back. Since all humans are susceptible to the tongue collapsing to various degrees, given the same situation, different people will obstruct more than others.

For example, if you have no problem sleeping on your back and you get a simple cold, your nose gets stuffed up and due to the vacuum pressures that are created downstream, your tongue can start to fall back, causing you to wake up frequently. This is the reason why you toss and turn when you have a cold. But once your cold goes away, you can catch up on your sleep, and you feel fine again.

Pregnant women, especially in the third trimester, typically don’t sleep well. This is not only because of the lack of mobility associated with the pregnancy itself, but also due to increased fat deposits in the throat at this time. The latter serves to narrow the airway, and creates breathing problems that did not exist prior to pregnancy.”

This is another installment of Dr. Park's book, "Sleep Interrupted", that explains the esophagus--a very complicated and fascinating part of our anatomy. It is the roadway for many bodily functions, but we often take it for granted until something goes wrong. We use it every moment from inhaling and exhaling to swallowing. Unfortunately, when the esophagus malfunctions, it can cause us anywhere from minor discomfort to agonizing misery.

In today's installment of "Sleep Interrupted" we will explore the simple complications involving how the position of the esophagus and breathing pathway can easily cause Acid Reflux, which, in turn, can cause damage to the esophagus.

The esophagus is basically a tube for eating, drinking, and breathing. If this tube closes down during sleep it can cause a vacuum in the stomach. This vacuum can interrupt the processing of the stomach contents and their natural progression downward and lift acid, bile, and other stomach contents back up into the esophagus. The power of this vacuum is such that even a healthy stomach and sphincter valve (the valve that keeps acid from entering the esophagus) may not keep the contents of the stomach in the stomach. When the stomach contents come up, it can cause severe damage to the esophagus and/or lungs, which can cause caustic burning and choking, that might even require hospitalization.

Please come back early next week for Part 2 of this topic or you can like us on facebook where you will be notified for each post - hope to hear from you.

Did You Know Reflux Guard Could Save Your life?

This is part of a series of posts from “Sleep Interrupted” by Dr. Steven Park,a John Hopkins trained ENT.

What I realized was that there are some people who prefer to sleep only on their sides or their stomach.Some absolutely cannot sleep on their backs, and must sleep in the latter positions in order to breathe properly. I concluded that what was happening in these situations was that being forced to sleep on their backs for the first time in decades after surgery or another medical procedure resulted in an inability to breathe properly. This, in turn, placed stress on the heart, increasing their risk of heart attack. The critical issue here is that it’s during REM sleep that the muscles of the throat are most relaxed. If susceptible people are forced to sleep on their backs, they can no longer adjust in a hospital situation by changing their sleeping position. They are simply forced to sleep on their backs as best they can. This realization led to yet another sleepless night for me. The implications were enormous.

Both these events prompted me to think about other curious things I had observed in the previous few years of practice. Almost every patient with a sleep-breathing problem such as UARS or OSA had some degree of throat acid reflux. Furthermore, many of these same people preferred not to sleep on their backs. The kind of acid reflux that we see in an ear, nose and throat practice is different from the typical heartburn acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When the acid reaches the throat, it is called laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, or LPRD. In most cases, LPRD is silent,the only symptoms being throat clearing, post-nasal drip, a lump sensation in the throat, hoarseness, cough, choking, or difficulty swallowing. This is probably one of the most common conditions that an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor encounters every day.

Did You Know Reflux Guard Could Save Your life?

Based on Dr Park’s observation “Almost every patient with a sleep-breathing problem such as UARS or OSA had some degree of throat acid reflux.” You will see further in the book even a closer direct relationship between snoring and acid reflux. Both could be life threatening for many reasons. It could reduce the quality of life, effect how you feel(groggy and dragging all day long vs. being refreshed), how you react, your relationships,job, health, and safety, etc.

These two paragraphs clearly bring up a which came first scenario, the egg or chicken;please forgive me I forget, or is that the chicken or the egg?. Who cares, lets ask a more pertinent question, which came first acid reflux or the inability to breathe properly. Again, who cares. The solution is Reflux Guard, a simple device specifically designed to deal with both problems. Reflux Guard goes under you mattress and is specifically designed to adjust within medically approved guidelines. Reflux Guard is the only wedge in its price range and ease of use that addresses what concerns Dr. Park.

How Acid Reflux can interrupt your sleep

This is part of a series of posts from “Sleep Interrupted” by Dr. Steven Park a John Hopkins trained ENT. We strongly suggest understanding your condition and “Sleep Interrupted” clearly explains why proper breathing is so important to our wellbeing.

Getting a good night’s sleep and waking up rested increases your productivity and alertness therefore lessening your chances of injury or death.

“For example, with total upper airway obstruction, a tremendous vacuum effect is created in the chest and throat, literally sucking up stomach acid into the throat. There are many other proposed mechanisms for this condition, such as a relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, which normally prevents stomach contents from regurgitating into the esophagus. There are also numerous studies that suggest that acid in the throat can aggravate airway collapse merely by numbing the protective airway reflexes present in normal people. These pressure sensors in the throat can detect when there is impending collapse and send a signal to the brain to tighten up throat and tongue muscles.

When acid is present in the throat it can cause more swelling of the delicate surrounding tissues, which promotes additional throat collapse, thus further aggravating this vicious cycle. A recent study suggests that for people who snore, the tremendous soft tissue vibrations caused by snoring can numb or deaden these pressure receptors, worsening any pre-existing upper airway obstruction.” “Sleep Interrupted” by Dr. Steven Park

In many cases of Acid Reflux people suffer and don’t even understand what is happening to them. Understanding the above can be instrumental in helping your doctor help you with what could be a very painful and serious condition.

Sleeping flat on your back can collapse your airway starting a secondary cycle of Acid Reflux, while sleeping on an angle by using Reflux Guard© can be instrumental in unwinding this cycle and possibly even help with the initial issue all without medicine and its side effect.