How does PHP handle output buffering and how can it affect the execution of code with sleep()?

Output buffering in PHP can affect the execution of code with sleep() by delaying the output until the buffer is flushed, which can cause delays in displaying content. To solve this issue, you can manually flush the output buffer before calling the sleep() function to ensure that the content is displayed immediately.

ob_end_flush(); // Flush the output buffer
sleep(5); // Delay execution for 5 seconds