Is There A Connection Between Bruxism And Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition which is often complicated by additional disorders or problems.

People with sleep apnea had a problem with Bruxism, otherwise known as teeth grinding.

According to a recent study, sleep apnea is the risk factor for bruxism.

Sleep apnea is characterized by cessation of breathing during sleep hundreds of times. Person with sleep apnea snores loudly with frequent arousals.

Due to the cessation of breathing, respiration stops for long time as oxygen levels are dropped. Bruxism is often associated with arousals and also depends on the position at night.

The ending of an apnea event is accompanied by a number of mouth phenomena such as gasps, mumbles, snoring and teeth grinding. Bruxism is considered in patients with sleep disordered breathing disorders.

Bruxism is also associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and one third of the people with bruxism reported being sleepy during the day. Bruxism is also linked to headaches, joint discomfort, muscle aches, and premature loss of teeth.

Diagnosis requires an interview with the bed partner of the sufferer and polysomography. Patient’s sleep is monitored with special equipment.

Polysomnography: Polysomnogram Test is a sleep study which is used to identify different sleep stages and find out various sleep problems.

The activities going in your body during sleep such as muscle movements, brain waves, eye movements, breathing through your mouth and nose, heart rate and leg movements are monitored in the study.

The movements are monitored by small metal disks applied to your head and skin with an adhesive. To find out whether you have sleep apnea, flexible elastic belts are placed around your chest and abdomen to measure your breathing.

As you sleep, you are observed of any abnormalities during the study. If you have bruxism and diagnosed with sleep apnea, you have to start taking the treatment for sleep apnea.

There is a popular treatment for the treatment of sleep apnea called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The treatment not only improves quality of life but also has a positive effect on bruxism.

Most patients reported that there is a significant reduction of bruxism after CPAP treatment.

The other treatments for sleep apnea include

Behavior therapy: Behavior therapy is used for mild cases of sleep apnea. Behavior therapy includes weight loss program.

Even a small amount of weight loss can lower the frequency of sleep apnea and it in turn reduces the symptoms of bruxism. The therapy also includes avoiding alcohol and tobacco.

Surgery: Surgery is considered when all other treatments fail. Surgery aims to remove unnecessary tissue build-up in the throat to open the airways.

The best treatment for sleep apnea is the lifestyle change. Many sleep apnea patients are obese. Maintaining healthy weight prevents the frequency of apnea episodes since it increases the volume of oxygen in the blood.