Alcohol, Teeth Grinding, And Sleep Apena: Understanding This Strange Connection
Lately, you've been grinding your teeth heavily while you sleep and waking up at night without a warning. This situation is very frustrating and may be linked to a multitude of situations. For example, your drinking habits may trigger teeth grinding and sleep apnea issues.
Alcohol May Trigger Teeth Grinding
Excessive alcohol consumption may trigger a broad array of problems but one that may surprise you is its influence on teeth grinding. Studies have shown that even a few alcoholic drinks, though more makes the situation worse, may cause people who are prone to teeth grinding to experience even worse symptoms or increased occurrence of this issue.
This problem, known as bruxism, can be very frustrating for your dental health. For example, it can cause damage to your teeth enamel that requires a dentist to fix. However, this teeth grinding may also be linked to another problem, sleep apnea, that can be very difficult to manage without professional help.
Grinding May Link to Sleep Apena
Teeth grinding is a dental problem that may worsen your sleep apnea in many ways. For example, excessive grinding caused by your alcohol consumption could cause your mouth to be slightly out of alignment. This issue could make sleep apnea more prominent or worsen its occurrence. As a result, you need to cut back on alcohol consumption and talk to your dentist about appropriate care options.
Treatment Options to Consider
If you believe that your teeth grinding is causing symptoms of sleep apena, you need to get immediate treatment for this problem. For example, you need to go through a sleep study, during which you won't be able to drink any alcohol, to gauge your propensity for sleep apena. After the study has gauged the extent of your problem, a treatment can be executed.
Most treatment options include the use of a CPAP mask that helps to increase your flow of oxygen, which often includes the application of a mouth guard. This guard may be a barrier for your teeth grinding, as well, and help minimize the dental damage that this problem causes you.
So if you're worried that your oral health and teeth grinding is triggering sleep apnea, you need to talk to a specialist right away to get help. A dentist may be able to fit you with a mouth guard for your teeth grinding and get a specialized one that also helps you sleep better at night by managing your sleep apena issues.
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