March 19th is World Sleep Day.
We all love sleep, I’m sure. I like nothing more than to have a good snooze. But if you’re kip is being interrupted at night, it can really affect your health and wellbeing.
From clenching and grinding, to sleep apnoea, we’re going to look at some of the dental related problems that could be affecting your sleep.
Clenching and Grinding (or Bruxism)
This is a super common problem that can affect anyone at any time. We find it afflicts people more at night though, when your brain is shut off and you can’t stop yourself from doing it. It’s also fairly easy to diagnose as well. On examiantion, we will be able to see bite marks on the inside of your cheeks and tongue. You’ll have white lined patches where your teeth have been constantly rubbing against your soft tissues, or you may have even been biting your tongue or cheeks. You may also be grinding down your teeth without realising, creating small flat areas on your teeth. You may be waking up with a sore jaw or neck.
The good news is that it’s also easy to fix with a mouthguard or night guard. You just pop it in when you feel like you’re clenching and grinding, and then the appliance takes all the flack instead of your teeth and soft tissues.
Good sleep helps tissue repair
We have all woken up from sleep that seemed too good to be true, because of how refreshed we felt on waking up! When asleep, you are mainly using less energy and less of your body parts (including your teeth) than when we are awake. Therefore, sleep gives your body the required time to rejuvenate, and by the same mechanism, improves your oral health
Snoring
If you or your partner snore, then it can make sleep pretty hard for both of you. Sometimes, no amount of kicking in the ribs can make it stop either, and its usually worse when you have a cold. There are devices we can make to help ease the onset of snoring.
Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. The most common type is called obstructive sleep apnoea. It can be hard to tell if you have sleep apnoea. It may help to ask someone to stay with you while you sleep so they can check for the symptoms. If it’s very severe and you stop breathing for any prolongued amount of time, then it would be best to speak to your GP about undergoing tests.
Tips to get a good nights sleep:
If you are effected by any of the issues raised in this post, please get in touch.
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