Do you suffer from the inflammatory condition known as gout? Gout is a form of arthritis that brings on severe instances of pain redness, tenderness, or swelling of the legs. It most commonly appears in the big toe. Gout can affect anyone, and according to the Mayo Clinic, may occur at night, waking the affected person. They go on to state that gout can be so painful even wearing a sheet on the affected area may be too painful to manage.Now, researchers have found a new connection between gout and another increasingly common condition - sleep apnea. While we already knew that gout can affect those with heart conditions and diabetes, this new study found that gout and sleep apnea could be connected. Interestingly, sleep apnea too is connected to things like diabetes and heart disease.So, what’s the connection? Why is gout a comorbid condition with sleep apnea? Doctors believe it may have something to do with our circadian rhythms, which are interrupted by the repeated waking of sleep apnea. In fact, researchers in a new study found that those with sleep apnea were 2.6 and 2.8 times more likely to have a "concurrent gout diagnosis". Patients with gout were also more likely than those without to have both restless leg syndrome and sleep anxiety.The study found that both of the two comorbid conditions are tied to mortality, but that both conditions are also treatable.Gout can be controlled with prescription medication, so if you believe you could have gout, please speak to your physician or rheumatologist. For sleep apnea, you also have available options that will give you the sleep you need. While many go the route of traditional CPAP therapy, CPAP therapy can be a challenge for some. Between the awkward and uncomfortable face masks to the complicated machinery to the difficult cleaning of the CPAP tubing, many who have been prescribed CPAP therapy simply don’t use it.Another option that many find better than CPAP therapy is a customized sleep orthotic. These comfortable devices fit into the mouth with ease and are worn more frequently than CPAP machines because of their higher level of comfort. They are available through Dr. Peterson, so if you are interested in learning more about custom sleep orthotics, please reach out to Dr. Peterson’s office by calling us at (435) 658-0678.