Do you have a partner who likes to sleep, snoring and grinding his teeth? It could be that he has sleep apnea as well as bruxism .
How do these two types of sleep disorders occur? Check out the descriptions of some of the studies looking at the correlation below.
Unraveling the Relationship of Sleep Apnea and Bruxism
Sleep apnea is a condition when breathing stops momentarily during sleep. This condition is caused by obstruction of the upper airway.
As a result, people with sleep apnea can snore loudly, gasp for air, choke, grunt, or experience breathing problems during sleep.
As for bruxism is a condition of your teeth grinding or swiping down and up unconsciously. Bruxism can occur repeatedly during sleep.
Doctor Arina Heidyana said that until now the cause of bruxism is not known for certain. “One of the risk factors is sleep apnea . But, there are also people who do not experience sleep apnea, they can experience bruxism while sleeping,” he explained.
The researchers themselves have not found a clear cause-and-effect relationship between bruxism and the effects of sleep apnea .
Based on the Sleep Foundation, United States, an epidemiological study revealed that people with sleep apnea tend to experience bruxism .
Other studies using polysomnography (a test to diagnose sleep disorders) also found the same thing.
Both of these studies reveal sleep apnea and bruxism can occur together. But, researchers can not disentangle the effect of the two types of sleep disorders on each other.
Some researchers suspect bruxism occurs as an effect of sleep apnea . The allegation is based on the body’s response to sleep apnea breathing pauses , namely grinding teeth.
When the airway narrows, the muscles of the mouth try to open it again. One way to do this is by doing a chewing motion.
Mouth closed during sleep restricts chewing movements. As a result, people with sleep apnea grind their teeth.
Another suggestion is that the activity of bruxism helps lubricate the back of the throat tissue. Because, the part is dry due to sleep apnea breath pauses .
This hypothesis views bruxism as one of the body’s reactions to protect itself from respiratory disorders due to sleep apnea . However, this assumption may not apply to everyone with sleep apnea .
Meanwhile, other studies reveal the opposite. Bruxism is thought to be the cause of sleep apnea .
The reason, the activity of grinding teeth is said to cause limited airway. As a result, breathing becomes irregular as experienced by people with sleep apnea .
How to Overcome Sleep Apnea and Bruxism
These two sleep disorders can be experienced simultaneously. However, the resulting complications can be prevented.
Citing Healthline , respiratory disorders due to sleep apnea that are not treated can lead to complications of the disease.
For example, experiencing persistent headaches, hypertension , heart disease , liver disorders, and diabetes .
According to Metropolitan Dental Care, United States, untreated bruxism can cause a number of problems.
For example, there is insomnia , cracked and more sensitive teeth, ear and head pain, stiff neck, sore jaw, and difficulty opening the mouth.
Sleep apnea and bruxism can be treated using safe and effective medical therapies such as Positive Airway Pressure (PAP).
Based on Stanford Health Care, United States, PAP circulates positive air to support the airway during sleep.
This airflow helps keep the airway open and allows normal breathing.
How to use it, wear a PAP mask when sleeping. The PAP portable machine will circulate compressed room air.
Air flows from the tube to the mask. The air is then inhaled into the upper airway.