Link between psoriasis and sleep apnea

Well done I asked my gp about sleep problems due to this condition was told all in my head lol just shows you most of them know nothing about anything. hopefully there’s a cure one day for us all 👍

Honestly sometimes the ignorance of GP’s drives me mad! The itching alone can cause sleep problems. Perhaps you should have suggested he Google it, he may have learnt something lol I think about all the wasted money while people are still suffering, no wonder NHS is in the state it is. Good luck to you Steve, I hope so too 👍

Yes, one study in 2018 found people with sleep apnea (SA) are a huge 4 times more likely to suffer from psoriasis than the general population. SA has all the hallmarks of a classic "psoriasis spiral". Bad sleep makes a bad immune system makes bad inflammation makes bad skin. The challenge with CPAP machines is that they have very high non-compliance rates. Some say 40-60% of users eventually stop using them, due to cost, noise, looks, discomfort, face irritation, etc.

I am using CPAP and I have psoriasis over most of my body and I was wondering if anybody else using CPAP knows if it can make psoriasis worse? Mine has got worse and is taking longer to get under control, I've been offered a tablet to take off my dermatologist and was also wondering if anybody takes a tablet for psoriasis and does it work? I appreciate any help thanks.

I agree Yacht and have heard the same regarding non-compliance. CPAP therapy can certainly be a challenge, but I think there are ways round to overcome those problems experienced. Trial and error or maybe I have just been lucky!

Hi Lynda, As I said above, from day 1 of using CPAP my psoriasis started to get better and all I have now is a tiny section on each elbow. Not very helpful to you at this moment I know. Unfortunately I don’t know anyone else with psoriasis on CPAP. Are you getting on with the CPAP therapy ok? Have you had or have they offered you PUVA or light treatment for your psoriasis? PUVA worked for me when I had it all over. Unfortunately I couldn’t have that this time when it came back and couldn’t seem to get it under control. They did offer me the tablet but I didn’t want it. It was at the same time as Covid started and I read it lowers your immune system, so didn’t think it was great timing. I had got to the point of giving up with their creams/ointments etc and had decided to give my body a complete rest from it all as they wasn’t making a difference. Must have been 3 months later I had the apnea diagnosis and from day 1 it started to clear. I did see on the tv programme Bad Skin Clinic, a lady who had psoriasis and was given a tablet, which worked for her, but I don’t remember what the tablet was. I really hope you get some relief soon. Good luck

Hi TinaT I'm getting on ok with the CPAP but the ointment called dovobet is taking ages to work now but it used to be fine and work quite quick, my skin is really red and sore so might try the tablet it's the last resort i think, I have to use the cpap because I also retain carbon dioxide when sleeping so can't not use that.

Eh Lynda that’s so annoying isn’t it. Dovobet never worked great for me. I found Diprosalic much better. The last lot of ointments I had was a mix of Dovobet one day and then Dovonex the next. Was supposed to do for 2 weeks but didn’t get that far as that’s when I decided to give my body a complete break from all the steroids. Not sure if you use Facebook, but there are quite a few groups on there for people with psoriasis. You will probably find more information on different experiences with the tablet form.

Thanks Tina you've given me plenty to think about I'll go bk to doctors ask about different ointment I think I've used dovobet that long might be to used to it now 🤷, thanks so much for your help I appreciate it.