Gastrointestinal physiology and digestive disorders in sleep

Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2009 Sep 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Gastrointestinal physiology and digestive disorders in sleep.

Kanaly T, Shaheen NJ, Vaughn BV. aDivision of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, USA bDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The dynamic interplay of the digestive system and sleep is an excellent example of brain-body interaction. New advances in measuring techniques provide an opportunity to evaluate physiology that is dependent upon the sleep/wake state or circadian rhythm and potentially differentiate between normal and pathological conditions.

RECENT FINDINGS: Sleep-related changes in gastrointestinal physiology create vulnerabilities to digestive issues such as reflux, whereas disorders such as duodenal ulcers raise the importance of circadian variations in digestive system function. Advances in the area of normal sleep physiology have furthered our understanding of the underlying cause of irritable bowel syndrome, and the mechanisms by which sleep disruption may aggravate inflammatory bowel disease. Additionally, important early work has shown that the treatment of digestive disorders such as reflux can improve sleep quality just as the improvement in sleep may aid in the treatment of digestive disorders.

SUMMARY: For the clinician, these forward steps in our knowledge mark the start of an era in which understanding the effects of the sleep/wake state and circadian rhythms on gastrointestinal physiology promise to yield novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities.

PMID: 19797956 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]