The testing that is done for sleep apnea is through a test called a Polysomnogram. This entails hooking you up to a bunch of wires that will analyze sleep quality and snoring as well. It also measures how much desaturation of oxygen occurs and how often. The problem with the Polysomnogram (PSG) is this; let’s say you slow or stop breathing perhaps five times each hour of the night, yet that slowing, or cessation, lasts for several minutes, not just 20 or 30 seconds. Your apnea index will be the same, regardless of whether you stop breathing for 10 seconds or 10 minutes! In other words, you need to look at how long the breathing ceased or slowed to understand how serious the problem is.

When a person performs the PSG, a number called the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI), is generated. If that number is 0-5, it is considered mild apnea, and no treatment is indicated. If that number is 5-15, the apnea is moderate, and a CPAP is usually prescribed as the gold standard of treatment. If the apnea index is above 15, then the apnea is considered severe and most definitely the CPAP is required. In many cases, people who have a hard time wearing the CPAP can benefit greatly by wearing a dental appliance that opens and brings the jaw forward. Studies indicate that 93% of the people prefer this over the CPAP. It is easier to wear and much more portable. Carrying that bulky CPAP machine is hard to do when you travel.

Another interesting aspect of sleep apnea is that it often correlates with TMJ  disorder. When the jaw joint discs are slipped off, i.e. displaced, this creates chronic inflammation that can tighten up the throat and make the apnea worse. It is my belief that if you are going to go through all the trouble of the PSG and sleep analysis, you really should look at any underlying issues with the TM joints. As it turns out, most people with TMD (TMJ Disorder) also have underlying distortions to their cranial bones (the bones in the skull) and this can cause the neck to turn or twist. The twisting of the neck can then impede the airway. These are all the things we need to look at.

Just to add more to the mix, a critical aspect of sleep involves knowing what your Vitamin D₃ levels are. This is important because D₃ is actually not a vitamin, it is a hormone, and it controls aspects of your sleep. A simple blood test will reveal your D₃ levels. In most people, the D₃ is well below the bare bones minimum of  30 ng/ml. This is not healthy, and you simply will not sleep. Your D₃ needs to be around 60-80 ng/ml yet most doctors are not really aware of this.

As you can see, dealing with sleep apnea means we need to look at more than just what the PSG tells us. You need to talk to the doctor, then look at the numbers. The more information you gain, the more likely you can get improvements in sleep and overall health!

Getting Help

Dr. Jeffery Brown can help you with your sleep apnea symptoms.  Please call our team in Falls Church, Virginia to schedule your consultation. Please call 703-821-1103 today!

The post Breathing in the Night: Understanding Sleep Apnea and Its Fundamentals first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

There are so many issues involved with SDB that it would take pages to explain, so in this short blog, we will review some of the major players in the equation.

The symptoms of SDB include morning headaches, night terrors, teeth grinding, polyuria (lots of bathroom visits at night), mood changes (irritability during the day), cognitive difficulties, restless sleep, gasping/snorting while asleep, and periods of outright cessation of breathing. As you can see, SDB is a very serious matter and needs to be addressed.

Let’s start with how to measure SDB. To get somewhat of a handle on the problem, a fairly simple test called the PSG (Polysomnogram) can be done. The PSG produces a number that allows an assessment of how serious sleep apnea might be. It’s sort of similar to getting a blood pressure number. For sleep apnea, if the number goes above 5-15, the apnea is considered to be moderate. Anything over 15 is generally considered severe apnea and needs to be addressed right away. A CPAP is usually the first course of treatment, and if a patient cannot handle wearing the CPAP, a dental sleep appliance usually works quite well.

As part of a good sleep analysis, the Vitamin D3 level should be analyzed carefully. The reason for this is that D3 is not really a vitamin, it is actually a hormone that regulates your sleep. If the D3 number is around 30 ng/ml or below, you are running really low and should address the problem. The proper number for good healing and good sleep is around 60-80 ng/ml. If you maintain a very low D3 level over time, eventually your body stops the ability to process D3 and you will have lots of problems with sleep later in life.

Snoring is another SDB issue that is very common in our society. Snoring is created by a harsh sound that occurs when the tissue is vibrating as you breath. This can turn into a chronic problem causing a vibration of the carotid artery, and this can cause damage to the artery to the point where your body sends plaque to fill in the damaged areas. If a plaque loosens and goes to your heart, then a cardiovascular event, even death, can occur. Snoring can be caused by a condition having fat deposition in the throat and tongue, nasal congestion, deviated septum, or even enlarged tonsils and adenoids. These factors can lead to snoring and prevent a good night’s sleep.

Another important aspect of good sleep is a very much ignored thing called sleep hygiene. That’s right; how clean, how good is your sleep pattern? What this means is that if you can program your body into going to bed at a regular time each night, your body will get used to that pattern and sleep more effectively and efficiently. Good sleep can be prevented by other factors such as:

-Sleep Disturbance: This is mostly caused by stress, insomnia and even excessive screen time.

-Poor Diet: Food is obviously a very important part of fuel for our body. With a poor diet, nutritional deficiencies become present, like the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

-Dehydration: This affects the function of your body’s organs and blood volume. The effect makes you feel tired.

-Psychological: This could be stress from work or a traumatic event causing a considerable degree of uneasiness leading to your mental health and exhaustion.

As you can see, when sleep is poor, you will be tired. It’s as simple as that.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, Dr. Jeffrey Brown and our team are here to help. We offer sleep apnea therapy in Falls Church, VA. Please give us a call if you would like to learn more, or to schedule a consultation. Just call our office at 703-821-1103. Better sleep awaits you!

The post Why am I Always Tired? first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

TMJ and sleep disorders are very common but not really understood.  This can explain why myths or misconceptions are out there.  The other side of this coin is this is also commonly misdiagnosed because symptoms vary from person to person and are similar to other problems.  One example of similarities is with Lyme Disease.  This is caused by a tick bite and the symptoms could be chronic headaches or migraines, jaw pain and tingling in the hand or fingers, notable symptoms of TMJ disorder. The big difference is Lyme disease does not have the clicking and popping or vertigo symptoms of TMJ disorder.  There are other examples as well; migraines, Trigeminal Neuralgia (short, sharp pain from touching of the jaw joint), or even a Ganglion Cyst (on the TM joint causing swelling and jaw pain).

Just remember all of us get sore muscles from time to time. The big difference is when the muscles in your jaw joints get sore and the soreness does not go away.  This is when you should ask your dentist for a referral. Otherwise, you could be prolonging the unnecessary pain or soreness and allowing the disc to possibly become further damaged.  TMJ disorder does affect other parts of your body. The myth of no popping or clicking means no TMJ disorder is not true.  These displaced discs can cause other symptoms of neck pain, backache, loss of balance, or hearing loss without the clicking or popping.

Another common myth is that TMJ disorder is harmless and that living with it will not cause problems.  It is true this condition is non-life-threatening but at the same time, it should be addressed.  Some possible development would be bruxism.  This process causes grinding of your teeth and clenching, wearing down your tooth’s enamel, and can cause sleep issues.  If the tooth enamel is worn down, then the potential of decay or tooth loss becomes greater.

For the sleep side of things, sleep can be interrupted by the clenching and grinding of your teeth.  Interrupted sleep or waking up unrefreshed is a symptom of both TMJ disorder and sleep apnea. It is not considered just a sleep issue.  The myth of sleep issues coming with age is not exactly true.  The aging process does decrease the tone in muscles and the airway muscles are not immune to this. The muscles in the airway no longer hold the jaw in the correct place and in turn, the airway becomes restricted. Your body is now fighting harder to breathe.  The use of a CPAP as the only treatment for sleep apnea is another myth.  The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has determined that an oral sleep appliance is very effective for mild to moderate apnea index.  This index tells us how many times your sleep is interrupted within a night.  The Epworth scale (tiredness level) in conjunction with the apnea index can determine if the oral appliance will be effective.

An interesting myth, sleeping on your side cures sleep apnea, actually helps with sleep apnea but does not cure it. By sleeping on your side, the tongue is not relaxed enough to obstruct the airway by falling back into the throat creating a blockage.  The tongue is off to the side allowing air to pass through the airway.  This is noted with mild cases of sleep apnea.  The side sleeping is most definitely not a cure but is recommended a lot for “positional apnea”.

There are so many more myths out there for both TMJ and sleep disorders.  Always consult with your dentist or physician when it comes to these issues.  You do want to address these symptoms because both these conditions will affect your brain and in turn affect cognitive functions, generating higher stress, and possible memory loss.

The post Myths about TMJ and Sleep first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.