A study of the relationship between nocturnal intragastric pH and sleep stages of peptic ulcer

We studied the correlation of the gastric acid secretion and the depth of sleep at night with no medication in 32 cases (19 gastric ulcer, 6 duodenal ulcer patients and 7 healthy controls). Using Memory PH Monitor intragastric pH values were consecutively measured without antiulcer drugs. The depth of sleep were monitored continuously by recording without any sleeping drugs. In healthy controls, the pH values of awake phase was significantly lower than that of sleep stage 1, 4 and rapid eye movement (REM) phases. The pH values of REM phases were significantly high rather than that of sleep stage 1 and 2 phases. In patients with gastric ulcer, the pH values of awake phases were significantly lower than that of sleep stage 1 and REM phases. The pH values of REM phases were significantly high rather than that of the other sleep stages. On the other hand, in patients with duodenal ulcer, the obvious changes of the pH values were not seen with sleep stages. The pH values of healthy controls and gastric patients were changed with sleep stages. But the pH of duodenal ulcer patients were not changed obviously. Therefore, it is suggested that the dysfunction of autonomous nervous system was influenced the nocturnal intragastric pH in the patients with duodenal ulcer and played one of the important role in the occurrence of duodenal ulcer.