Over 20 million Americans struggle with sleep apnea each night and each morning when they wake up feeling exhausted. And among them, one unlucky group’s days usually start with a headache and stiff/painful jaw as well.
While it might just seem like bad luck, sleep apnea and TMJ pain can actually have a strong connection, with one condition leading to the other. If you find yourself in this situation, what should you do?
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes brief but frequent interruptions in breathing during the night. This forces the body to partially wake up several times, resetting the sleep cycle and preventing someone from reaching the deeper, more restorative stages.
In most cases, this stems from the tongue falling into the back of the throat, or the airway may collapse on itself, temporarily cutting off respiration.
What’s a TMJ?
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, and it’s the two hinges located in front of your ears that enable your jaw to move freely in all directions. Due to factors like chronic stress, teeth grinding, jaw clenching, an injury, or a misaligned bite, this can create tension and wear in the joint and surrounding nerves and muscles. This can result in symptoms like pain in the face and jaw, trouble opening and closing the mouth, and frequent headaches/migraines.
Chicken or the Egg?
In some cases, sleep apnea can lead to TMJ issues. That’s because when someone stops breathing, their body moves automatically to open the upper airway, which can lead to unconscious teeth grinding and clenching that stresses the jaw.
Or it can be the other way around, where an imbalance in the bite or constant grinding/clenching leads to the airway becoming blocked, causing apnea episodes.
One Solution
So which condition should someone treat first? While most healthcare providers would recommend getting your sleep under control as soon as possible, these days, there is one treatment that can handle both problems: oral appliance therapy.
Provided by a specially trained sleep dentist, this approach involves having the patient wear a custom-made mouthguard to bed each night. Because it comes from a dentist, it can be designed to protect the teeth from grinding, place the jaw in a relaxed position, and prevent the airway from closing.
Two problems have one proven solution…this could be called lucky if you weren’t unfortunate enough to have both sleep apnea and TMJ issues! For many, working with a sleep dentist offers the shortest path to brighter mornings and pain-free days.
About the Author
A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Dr. Jeff Rodgers has dedicated his 25+ year career to helping patients overcome snoring, sleep apnea, and TMJ-related problems. As such, he has completed countless hours of advanced training on the subject, leading him to become a Diplomate of both the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. If you’re concerned about sleep apnea and/or TMJ pain, you can schedule a screening with Dr. Rodgers right now by clicking here or calling (770) 394-4310.