Grinding Your Teeth at Night May Indicate Sleep Apnea

grinding, bruxism, clenching, sleep apnea, arousal

We often hear from patients.  I grind my teeth at night, will the oral appliance replace my mouthguard?  Good question.  Yes, grinding your teeth at night may indicate sleep apnea, potentially. The National Sleep Foundation states that 1 in for 4 people with sleep apnea also clenches or grinds their teeth at night.  Some symptoms of grinding your teeth at night include increased tooth pain and sensitivity, jaw or neck pain, pain that feels like an earache, or even dull headaches that begin in the temple area.

Relationship Between Teeth Grinding and Sleep Apnea

Most often clenching and grinding of teeth are associated with stress.  What if we considered it a reaction to the stress of not being able to take a full breath of air while you’re sleeping?  That’s what research is suggesting.  There have been studies that show when patients are treated for obstructive sleep apnea the symptoms of clenching and grinding also decrease.

Practitioners believe that it could be a method used to arouse us enough to take a breath.  The hypothesis is that the action of grinding our teeth ‘wakes us up’.  It’s no surprise then that so many people with sleep apnea also grind their teeth.  This relationship has become so common that it can be considered a ‘red flag’ for sleep apnea.  Dentists and sleep physicians have recognized the need to have these conversations with their patients. It is critical for medical providers to be aware of this relationship.

In Conclusion

Research is continuing to understand more how these two interact and affect each other.  If you are experiencing the symptoms discussed earlier, be mindful that your body could be relaying a more important message about your quality of sleep. Grinding your teeth at night, while unpleasant, may just be the clue you needed to uncover the mystery of a sleep disorder.   We recommend you consult your sleep physician or primary care doctor with your concerns.

If you still have questions about sleep apnea, contact us to make an appointment today or take our “sleepiness quiz” to see if you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness.

Thanks for reading, we appreciate your feedback!

Sleep Like You Mean It,

The team at Ohio Sleep Treatment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *