Do you know your dental condition can influence your sleep?
It could be news to some people that their dental health is strongly related to their quality of sleep. Pain, inflammation, blood sugar levels, sleep apnea, and periodontal disease, are related to your oral health and how well you may be sleeping. According to a study in theJournal of Periodontology, lack of sleep is the second most important lifestyle factor affecting periodontal disease with those who received seven to eight hours of sleep per night showing less periodontal disease progression than those who received six or fewer hours of sleep per night.
Dental pain and inflammation of the tissues can impact the quality of your sleep
Dental pain and lack of sleep: it’s a bit of a vicious cycle. Dental pain and inflammation of the tissues can impact the quality of your sleep as well as increase your risk of heart disease, and a poor night’s sleep only worsens the symptoms! Poorly controlled blood sugar levels can also cause sleep problems. When blood sugar levels drop, the body responds by releasing hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol to try to regulate the glucose in your blood stream. These hormones are also related to stress and can keep you awake at night.
You may have sleep apnea? Contact your doctor and dentist
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that happens when someone’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. This means the brain — and the rest of the body — may not get enough oxygen. There are two forms of sleep apnea, with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) being the more common of the two forms. It is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep. Sometimes an oral appliance can help keep the throat open, thereby alleviating the problem. Sleep Apnea is a serious condition that should be addressed by your doctor and dentist.
A good night sleep is ESSENTIAL for your dental & overall health
A good night’s rest is imperative for so many reasons; your brain needs the time to digest all of the information you have been inputting, your muscles and bones need the time to grow, rest, or heal themselves. Also, your tissues need the time to renew themselves. Sleep helps the body to fight off infection as well. The list of things your body is doing while sleeping is quite incredible! Bruxism, or clenching of the jaw, during sleep can also cause issues with your teeth and jaw. It is often caused by stress but can also be due to poor alignment of the teeth. You can always consult a professional Regina dentist about this.
Oral health affects everything
Let’s face it: oral health affects us physically and psychologically, and influences how we grow, enjoy life, look, speak, chew, taste food and socialize, as well as our feelings of social well-being:
“The compartmentalization involved in viewing the mouth separately from the rest of the body must cease because oral health affects general health by causing considerable pain and suffering and by changing what people eat, their speech and their quality of life and well-being.”
—Oral health, general health and quality of life
So take a step in the right direction – brush, floss, rinse, and visit your dentist a few times a year. If it has been a long time since you’ve addressed your oral health, don’t be scared to begin. All it takes is a phone call!
