Is there a link between TMJ Disorder and Sleep Apnea?
If you’ve ever experienced a stormy night’s sleep, you know it affects the next day’s productivity and overall health. If you don’t sleep well at night, you might be at your wit’s end, wondering if you will ever feel well. Sleep disturbances affect many people, but there are solutions to inadequate sleep other than over-the-counter medications.
Among the factors that are very important in fixing your sleep problems is knowing the cause of your restless sleep. Your inadequate sleep might be anxiety-related or might be physical. Your sleep problem might be as simple as eliminating caffeine in the afternoon and exercising more. Or it could be more complicated. You might have a medical condition such as sleep apnea or a dental problem like temporomandibular joint disorder, commonly known as TMD or TMJ.
The excellent news Is those sleep problems resulting from sleep apnea, or TMJ, are treatable. Our dentists at Cupertino Family Dental utilize several treatment modalities that don’t involve surgery or prescription drugs. If you are struggling to sleep, identities will help you.
What is Sleep Apnea?
There are three types of sleep apnea, but obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. Hence it will be our main focus. This type of sleep apnea happens when your airway becomes obstructed when you sleep. Oxygen is cut off, and your brain alerts the heart to keep beating, but you will choke or gasp for breath.
This cessation of sleeping might occur hundreds of times per night. If you stop sleeping for 10 seconds or more at a time and you wake up the next day feeling tired, there’s a chance you have obstructive sleep apnea. It’s uncommon for individuals to become fully awake during sleep apnea episodes, so many don’t even know they have obstructive sleep apnea.
If someone has told you you snore, you might have sleep apnea since snoring and sleep apnea are closely linked. You’ll be amazed to learn how dangerous undiagnosed sleep apnea can be. Sleep apnea will make you have a miserable day following poor sleep and might wreak havoc on your general health. The dangers Of sleep apnea include:
- Stroke
- Anxiety
- Coronary artery disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Dementia
- Irritability
- Memory problems
- Weight gain
These medical conditions are the main reasons you should visit our dentist In Cupertino, CA, for sleep apnea treatment.
Also, another problem that’s closely linked to sleep apnea is TMJ.
What is TMJ?
TMJ is a painful condition that results from an issue with the alignment of your jaw. If your bite doesn’t align correctly in the resting position, you might have TMJ. The misaligned bite might result in several painful symptoms.
- Shoulder pain
- Popping and clicking noises in the jaw
- Face pain
- Congestion in the yeah
- Jaw pain
- Neck pain
- Ringing in the ears
- Stiffness in the jaw
Disorders of the TMJ also affect ligaments and muscles. If you have misaligned teeth and suffer from TMJ, please visit our dentists in Cupertino, CA, to be diagnosed and develop a treatment plan.
Sleep Apnea versus TMJ how are they Linked?
Medical researchers have shown that almost half of the people with TMJ also have trouble sleeping. Those suffering from sleep apnea often experience a collapse in their airway which causes the body to push the lower jaw forward to open the airway. This constant motion by the TMJ throughout the night causes stress and tension on your jaw joints and increases the likelihood of TMJ disorder.
TMJ it’s also linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, which aggravates your sleep apnea impacting your oral health. If you think about it, You can consider how the airway is connected to the position of your jaw. It only makes sense then that sleep apnea and TMJ are linked.
Improving TMJ and Your Sleep
Sometimes TMJ goes away on its own, but you don’t have to live with its pain. Also, sleep apnea doesn’t go away on its own and can lead to serious health complications if left untreated, so visit a sleep apnea doctor near you to get treatment.
Some of the possible treatments for TMJ include:
- Botox injections to relax muscles
- Mouth guards and oral splints
- Medications such as ants inflammatories and muscle relaxers
- At home, gently massage and stretching exercises