As we already know, the most effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is considered to be continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. This therapy can work wonders and provide plenty of benefits. However, not every person will enjoy the benefits of the CPAP therapy. If you’ve been wondering why you or someone close to you doesn’t feel better after using the continuous positive airway pressure therapy for sleep apnea, keep reading.

Reasons Why You Might Not Feel Better After Using CPAP Therapy for Sleep Apnea

Not Feeling Sleepy

The major sign of sleep apnea is excessive daytime sleepiness. However, not every person has this symptom. In fact, if you haven’t been feeling sleepy before starting the therapy, you might not notice any dramatic difference or improvement after using CPAP therapy.

You Don't Have Sleep Apnea

Even though this is rarely the reason, it can happen that a patient is misdiagnosed with sleep apnea and thus, CPAP therapy offers no difference. Sometimes, the sleep testing doesn’t show the correct results and isn’t accurate. Hence, if you feel that your therapy offers no improvement and you question the diagnosis, consider being tested again and always opt for home sleep testing.

Not Using CPAP Long Enough

Adjusting to CPAP therapy can be a challenging task and thus, many people use the therapy only for a short time period. Not using the therapy long enough, such as removing the mask before morning can’t provide benefits. Instead, try to use the mask as much as possible, from the beginning to the end of each night.

Having Only Mild Sleep Apnea

People dealing with mild sleep apnea might not experience too much improvement from CPAP therapy as it works best with severe sleep apnea. People with mild sleep apnea only experience 10 events per hour and this number can be reduced to five with the use of CPAP. Thus, there is no point in using this therapy for such a mild condition.

Dealing with Insomnia

One of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea is insomnia. However, continuous positive airway pressure therapy doesn’t help to fight this sleep disorder. What’s more, wearing a mask while sleeping can only worsen the condition as you’re likely to wake up even more often. So, instead of CPAP, opt for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

Facing CPAP Problems

We already mentioned that getting used to wearing the mask can be an arduous task. However, there are many other reasons and issues you’re likely to experience which will make the CPAP therapy not as effective as it should be. So, you might experience problems with the mask, especially if it’s not properly sized or adjusted as it can cause pain, sores, and air leak. Moreover, the humidity, excessive pressure and temperature of the air may have to be adjusted. This can be easily solved simply by contacting your health provider.

Improper Settings of the CPAP Machine

If the CPAP machine isn’t set properly, you might not get the maximum from the therapy. Thus, it’s crucial that the settings are adjusted and set by a physician. Having the machine set to default settings might not be a good idea.

You Have Developed Complex Sleep Apnea

Using CPAP therapy might cause various other conditions, especially complex sleep apnea. Even though many people feel alleviated with the therapy, others seem to hold their breath against the pressure and are prone to making the condition worse. If you suspect that this is what might be happening to you, make sure you consult your physician as you might need bi-level therapy.

You Are at the Beginning

There are many people who expect instant results with this therapy, but that’s quite rare to happen. In fact, a quick dramatic improvement might only happen is the sleep apnea was quite severe. In other cases, you need to give it time to see some results. It might even take several weeks to actually notice improvements.

People who have sleep disorders are more susceptible to dealing with rheumatoid arthritis. People who have rheumatoid arthritis have a huge issue with fatiguue. Until now, it was unclear whether or not obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type of sleep apnea, was associated with rheumatoid arthritis. However, let’s take a closer look at more recent research and whether or not there a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea if you have rheumatoid arthritis.

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune, type of arthritis, which is characterized by symmetric joint pain and joint damage. Moreover, people with rheumatoid arthritis might also experience systemic effects and extra articular manifestations. It is estimated that about 1.5 million people in the USA have rheumatoid arthritis.

Sleep Apnea

One of the most common sleep-related breathing disorders is known as sleep apnea. When a person has this condition, it means that their breathing is interrupted during sleep. As the person experiences a temporary breathing pauses, these episodes might lead to reduced oxygen saturation. Some of the risk factors which are usually associated with sleep apnea include obesity, being a male, upper airway soft tissue abnormalities, advancing age, smoking, menopause, nasal congestion and genetics. There are a number of medical conditions which are known to increase the risk rate of sleep apnea, such as end-stage renal disease, pregnancy, chronic lung disease, congestive heart failure and stroke. Recently, researchers have discovered a connection between rheumatoid arthritis and an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea.

The Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Rheumatoid Arthritis

In 2016 at the BMJ Open, study results were published, which indicated that the overall incidence rate of obstructive sleep apnea was 75% higher in people with rheumatoid arthritis compared to those without rheumatoid arthritis. The findings from this and other previous studies showed that there is a link between rheumatoid arthritis and sleep apnea.

The BMJ Open study stated that the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea is higher in men, in older people, and in people with comorbidity. Hence, the risk is usually higher in people who have hypertension, hyperlipidemia, ischemic heart disease, and obesity. When it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, there are a number of factors which contribute to the higher risk of sleep apnea, such as micrognathia, cervical spine abnormalities, the involvement of the temporomandibular joint, involvement of the cricoarytenoid joint, and obesity.

It is also believed that the link between cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis may be a result of sleep apnea. As obstructive sleep apnea is closely connected to coagulation, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, these factors are all considered contributing factors.

Treatment Options

The link between rheumatoid arthritis and sleep apnea may lead to a higher incidence of morbidity and mortality in people who have both conditions. Thus, people who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis should try to identify the signs of sleep apnea and possibly get a home sleep apnea test.

When it comes to the treatment options, you know that sleep apnea is best managed by utilizing CPAP devices. However, as some people find it using CPAP to be bothersome, they can use a specific body position during sleep to keep the airway open, lose some weight or use certain devices to move the mandible forward there by reducing airway obstruction. One thing is for sure, sleep apnea is a serious condition and it should not be ignored.

Hence, if you notice that you are being tired all the time, do not associate this sign only with rheumatoid arthritis. Fatigue is one of the most common characteristics and results of sleep disruption and sleep fragmentation.

A countless number of studies have been conducted on the topic of her it ability of insomnia over half a century. Some of the most recent research has focused on hundreds of genes which are believed to affect this condition. Thus, it is very likely that if you are suffering from insomnia, other members of your extended family will have experienced it as well. In fact, there is at least a 30% chance of this to happen.

Therefore, if you can’t fall or stay asleep, you should blame your genes. Scientists have finally confirmed that insomnia is hereditary. In fact, there have identified certain genetic mutations which they believe can lead to the development of the condition. This is one of the largest studies of its kind and can be very helpful in the forthcoming insomnia treatments.

Over 20% of adults from all over the world are dealing with insomnia. This condition can have a serious impact on a person’s health and well being. What’s more, insomnia can also trigger a number of health conditions, such as PTSD, mental illnesses, diabetes, and heart disease.

Insomnia is usually associated with a difficulty to fall asleep at night. However, it seems like this condition has far more symptoms than this one, such as waking up feeling tired, walking throughout the night, and not being able to fall back to sleep.

There have been over 33,000 soldiers who participated in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service Members and determine whether the genes are linked to sleep issues. Their DNA has been used and it was revealed that insomnia has a heritable element to it. Likewise, it was found out that insomnia is closely linked to certain genetic variations on chromosome 7, and on chromosome 9 in people of European descent. The first chromosome is also close to a gene involved in alcohol consumption.

This study also revealed that there is a very powerful connection between insomnia and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, a strong link between insomnia and major depression in people of European descent was discovered.

So, there is a shared genetic diathesis for these commonly co-occurring phenotypes, such as type 2 diabetes and major depression. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that genetics isn’t the sole culprit of insomnia. In fact, there are other factors which can attribute to it, including excessive caffeine consumption, chronic pain, working irregular hours, asthma, and certain medications. All of these lifestyle factors seem to be causing insomnia.

Now a days, insomnia is usually treated with sleep medicines, cognitive behavioral therapy, and learning how to relax. Discovering the connection between genetics and insomnia can improve current treatments and help to find new ones.

It’s worth mentioning that epigenetic changes can be passed from parents to children, but can also be reversible. It is also believed that epigenetic influences react to how our bodies regulate sleep and respond to stress.

In a nutshell, insomnia is hereditary and there are hundreds of genetic locations which can determine a person's overall risk of developing insomnia.

According to researchers, participants in a study who ate fewer carbohydrates were at a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Hence, we decided to discuss this study and give you food for thought on whether you should skip that plate of pasta next time.

A link between low-carb diets and the risk of developing atrial fibrillation has been found. In fact, about 2.7 million people have atrial fibrillation in the USA. As one of the most common types of irregular heartbeats. Atrial fibrillation can last for a few hours or days, or it can be an ongoing condition.

People with atrial fibrillation often experience dizziness, shortness of breath, and weakness. Moreover, they are at a higher risk to experience a stroke or a heart attack.

Recently, low-carb diets and trendy weight loss plans, such as the ketogenic and Atkins diets, have become extremely popular. These diets focus on minimizing calories from grains, legumes, added sugars, and starchy vegetables.

Therefore, the study cautioned against taking these approaches. The reason behind the warning is that the carbohydrate restriction has long-term effects which can be detrimental, especially for people with cardiovascular diseases.

The study, which was conducted by Dr Zhuang and his colleagues, revealed that carbohydrates accounted for about half of the daily calories, which is within the range that federal dietary guidelines recommend. However, when they divided the participants into three groups low, moderate, and high according to how many of their daily calories were from carbohydrates, it was revealed that the low-carb group was the most at risk for developing atrial fibrillation.

The low-intake group consumed about 44% of their calories in the form of carbohydrates, the moderate group consumed about 44 to 52% of their calories from carbohydrates, while the remaining participants had diets in which carbohydrates comprised more than 52% of the calories. In fact, the low-carb group was 18% more likely than the moderate group and 16% more likely than the high-intake group.

It is still uncertain whether low-carb diets are the actual trigger for atrial fibrillation. It is believed that people who try to avoid carbs often cut back on grains, as well as, vegetables and fruit. The food groups are beneficial for reducing inflammation in the body, and inflammation has been associated with atrial fibrillation.

Moreover, Dr Zhuang believed that when people on low-carb diets eat additional proteins and fats, which might be the actual culprits for oxidative stress, which has also been linked to atrial fibrillation.

Additionally, it is also believed that patients with diabetes and obesity are required to adopt low-carb diets and the trigger for atrial fibrillation might not be the food choice but the condition itself.

Nevertheless, more research is needed to prove that low-carb diets like keto are the culprit for atrial fibrillation.