# IBS and sleep apnea



## khurm (Apr 28, 2003)

My husband has suffered from IBS his whole life. He is 37 yrs old. Recently he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He has been on a breathing machine (CPAP) for approximately one month. We have noticed an extreme drop in IBS attacks since. He used to vomit almost every morning and has had to live with stomach pain forever. It makes sense to me since sleep apnea is very stressful if not treated. The gastrologist kept asking if he was under any stress but he wasn't. (Now we know he was while sleeping). We were so desperate since the doctors only wanted to drug him up and nothing was working. This really seems to help. I hope others might look into this. We were at the point where we were looking into alternative medicines. I wish we would have known about this years ago it would have saved my husband years of pain and anguish.


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

a lot of kinds of ibs are associated with sleep problems.tom


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## murbur (Jan 19, 2001)

Good for him, hope he continues to do well. I also have sleep apnea and am on a CPAP machine, but it hasn't helped my IBS D in the least...... murphy


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## murbur (Jan 19, 2001)

I might add I've had IBS for about 12 years and have been on the CPAP machine for 4 years...... murphy


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

If you go here the national library of medicine and type in sleep and IBS a lot of articles come up. Glad he is feeling better.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/


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## electric liz (Aug 2, 2003)

Hi there. I also have IBS and a sleep disorder. I was recently diagnosed with early symptoms of Narcolepsy. However, since beginning treatments for the sleep problems, my stomache problems have gotten worse!


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## millicent (Jul 21, 2003)

I have sleep apnoea too, i was diagnosed last year and i guess it kind of tallies with the length of time i've had the ibs, never thought there could be a connection before but maybe I should be looking into it. I am average weight for my height and i don't snore but i do regularly stop breathing in my sleep, so after doing a sleep study I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea. I think I am going to do some more research into this now. Thankyou for posting, you have given me something to think about.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2003)

I don't think I have sleep apnea, but I have noticed lately that sometimes when I wake up in the morning, my abdomen (particularly upper abdomen) feels very tight, hard, and achy. The feeling is similar to when you overdo abdominal exercises, such as situps.I'm wondering now if this is the cause, or maybe contributing to, the digestive problems I've been having (abdominal pain, bloating, gas, constipation).I know I tend to tense my facial muscles and clench my teeth when I sleep. I wonder if it's possible to "clench" one's abdominal muscles when sleeping? Geez, if so, how can one ever stop doing something like this???


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## Smip (May 23, 2003)

This just amazes me. The more I read the posts, the more I want to type, but then i'd be spamming the boards.My doctor has just ordered a sleep study on me. I was supposed to go yesterday but my water main pipe broke in my yard so I had to rescedule. I thought it was a waste, but now im not so sure.


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Whether the CPAP helps with your IBS or not, get the study done. Untreated apnea, in my case, can lead to falling asleep at the wheel, and in everyone's case is a strain on the heart.


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## VIsland_85 (Apr 13, 2003)

This is so amazing. I have sleep apnea too!


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## Wmtand (Jan 29, 2003)

I too have sleep Apnea along with Restless legs sleep disorder. My "sleep doctor" was not at all surprised that I had IBS.. I have had my CPAP machine for five years and although it has not stopped all my IBS symptoms, I know that when I sleep well, they are not as severe. I take clonzapan for my RLS and it helps me sleep as well but taken without food, it flares up my acid reflux. It's amazing the connections in our bodies.


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## scrumdum (Aug 7, 2003)

I'm a new member and a senior citizen. It's







Very interesting that so many of us have sleep apnea AND IBS. But they all revolve around that enemy STRESS. The more study I do, the more I learn how much seratonin is in control - either too much or too little. And it's very tricky to fool aroound with until they get the meds right. I have used Levsinex Timecaps and find they help for the cramping. If anyone even thinks they may have a sleep problem, I urge you to get the sleep test done. I wish I had done mine many years ago and then I might not have developed the dreaded Fibromyalgia. My body was stressed by so many years of improper sleep (at least that's one theory). God Bless you all


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## jacques125 (Sep 12, 2011)

boston024 said:


> My husband has suffered from IBS his whole life. He is 37 yrs old. Recently he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He has been on a breathing machine (CPAP) for approximately one month. We have noticed an extreme drop in IBS attacks since. He used to vomit almost every morning and has had to live with stomach pain forever. It makes sense to me since sleep apnea is very stressful if not treated. The gastrologist kept asking if he was under any stress but he wasn't. (Now we know he was while sleeping). We were so desperate since the doctors only wanted to drug him up and nothing was working. This really seems to help. I hope others might look into this. We were at the point where we were looking into alternative medicines. I wish we would have known about this years ago it would have saved my husband years of pain and anguish.


I have been dealing with IBS most of my adult life. Starting in my early 60's, I started to experience severe abdominal aching and bloating in the middle of the night. Sleeping at high altitude was worse with bouts of flatulence and abdominal bloating. Also, feelings of bodily discomfort would last about 45 minutes to 1 hour before I could get back to sleep. In my later 60's, I could get up to 3 episodes a night so I felt tired most days. Being retired with low stress for 8 years didn't help. Then I got tested for sleep apnea and now, after 1 month on CPAP, My sleep has improved 99% and I never get episodes where I need to meditate for long periods in order to get back to sleep. Night time bloating has diminished substantially. My guess is that I was oxygen deprived and my bodily functions were severely effected. We are planning a trip to Tahoe to see if the high altitude problem subsides.


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## DrB (May 12, 2017)

The link could probably lie in the persistence of the foramen ovale between the right and left atria in the heart, which is related to both Sleep apnea AND IBS: see also

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18579029

en

https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.leidenuniv.nl:2443/pubmed/26489724


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