How Your Teeth Can Impact Your Sleep

There might not be a Zombie apocalypse happening yet, but it seems as though there are plenty of walking dead out these days, thanks to more people suffering from sleep deprivation.

According to a recent study 33% of the adults in our country are sleep deprived. 50% of Americans snore, 38% unintentionally nod off during the day, and It’s estimated that as many as 1,550 deaths and 40,000 personal-injury accidents are caused by drowsy drivers.

It’s recommended that adults get 7 hours of sleep every night. Even getting an hour less than that can promote long-term health issues like diabetes or heart disease. Sleep deprivation isn’t good for your health, your productivity, your mood, or your relationships.

So, why are we talking about all this sleeplessness as your dentist? Because there are a lot of ways your oral health can negatively impact your sleep.

Here are 5 Dental Issues that Disrupt Your Sleep!

1. Gum Disease – Gum disease can promote sleeplessness. It’s a vicious circle of sleep deprivation. When you don’t get enough good sleep (at least 7 hours a night), your body creates hormones that cause inflammation. This in turn will inflame your gums, causing them to bleed, or feel sensitive. Research shows that people who get less than six hours of sleep a night have a higher risk for getting gum disease. Counting sheep won’t help, but a study shows that treating gum disease can improve the quality of your sleep, and even your overall health.
2. Teeth Grinding – Stress levels around the globe are at all all-time highs. And that’s making more folks grind their teeth. But they don’t realize they do it, because it usually happens when they’re asleep. We’re seeing an increase in the tooth damage caused by chronic teeth grinding, aka “bruxism”. The American Dental Association confirms that nearly 70% of dentists in this country are noticing this too. People of all ages grind their teeth, and when it’s chronic it not only damages teeth, but it will disrupt your sleep, and harm your health. We can’t shield you from the stress of the world, but we can protect your teeth. Our custom designed night guards work wonders for teeth, and they might improve the quality of your sleep too.
3. Chronic Dry Mouth – Your saliva is your body’s unsung hero. When it’s flowing correctly, producing up to 4 pints a day, your saliva helps fight tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath, and it also helps protect your overall immune system, protecting the body from infection. Sleeping with a chronic dry mouth is a nuisance that will wake you up throughout the night because your mouth feels like a desert. A dry mouth symptom that doesn’t seem to go away can be related to health issues, or to certain medications you might be taking.
4. Sleep Apnea – Snore a little? On any given night there’s a lot of snoring going on around the Burien area. About 50% of adults snore regularly. One major cause of snoring is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sleep apnea occurs when the airway in your throat gets blocked as your throat muscles and tongue relax when you sleep. This limits the air that reaches your lungs, which results in loud snores or gasping sounds. The gasping part happens because your body reawakens you to start breathing again. During the night, this may happen a few times or hundreds of times. Either way, it disrupts your peaceful slumber. Getting a consistent good night’s sleep helps your body maintain itself, as well as improve its immune system. A snore free night is also a great way to keep your relationship harmonious! If you snore, or someone you sleep next to snores, our snore guards can help everyone sleep better at night.
5. You Have a Jaw Disorder – Never feel like you’re truly rested, no matter how much “good’ sleep you think you’re getting. You might have a jaw disorder like TMJ which can also disrupt your sleep.. TMJ syndrome (or TMD) is actually one of the most commonly diagnosed jaw disorders in America that affects millions of people, but, again, many people don’t know they suffer from it, or have never been properly diagnosed. If you’ve noticed a pain in your jaw or a clicking noise when you chew you may have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues. This type of pain can be exacerbated when you lie down and can affect your sleep. If you’re experiencing regular head, neck or jaw pain that’s disrupting your sleep, and interfering with your daily life, we can properly examine you for TMJ disorder to develop a treatment plan that can offer some relief.

Not getting a good night’s sleep? You’re not alone. More than a third of Americans report getting less than seven hours. And that’s not good for your health, or your daily multi-tasking activities either. Fortunately, if your sleeplessness is related to your oral health, we can help.

Whether it’s a night guard, a snore guard, or treating gum disease, we’ll do our best to protect your oral health so that you can sleep better at night.

If dental issues are getting in the way of your sleep, give us a call at (206) 242-0066 to schedule your dental exam or request your appointment here!