Why is sleep important? When the body does not sleep well, it is far more likely that disease processes can begin. As anyone knows, when your body is just tired all the time, it is far more likely you will catch the flu and infections are far more likely to set in. This is the case with cancer as well. When your body is debilitated from lack of sleep it is easier for cancer to set in.  There is now plenty of research to support this. If you simply Google ‘cancer from sleep apnea’ you will find that with moderate to severe sleep apnea, you are two and a half times more likely to develop cancer and three times more likely to die from cancer. This is a serious statement. What this means is that if you are not sleeping well, you are far more likely to contract kidney cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, and uterine cancer. Even though the risk of lung or colorectal cancers is less, it is just not worth the risk when you do not sleep well. TMJ disorder affects not only your joints but impacts the quality of sleep. A confirmation from UVA hospital’s research is that good sleep has been confirmed to be key to good health. With good sleep, the lymphatic system is regulated, and in turn, helps regulates many immune systems.

So, what is the message of this little blog? The message is to pay attention to your body. If the jaw joints are causing pain – headaches, neck or back pain, or even dizziness and tremors – then pay attention and have it looked at by someone who understands the situation. And this has now opened up another proverbial can of worms: Who do I see? TMJ disorder is so poorly understood that there is no consistency in diagnosis or treatment. So please stay tuned as the next blog will delve into the devious world of diagnosis and treatment.

The post Oral Cancer and TMD- Coincidence or Correlation? first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

Many people will find that the turbos do not really slow them down too much when eating, but they do need to eat softer foods than they normally might. In general, if your food is fork tender, then it should be easy enough to eat and swallow. Mastication (chewing) is good for your digestive system and muscles, yet when you have a TMJ problem, it is better to go softer for a while so the joints can heal.

Another frequent topic that arises is what exercise can be done when a person has a TMJ problem. The issue when a person has a slipped articular disc is the disc needs time to heal and try to recapture its proper position in the socket. If you work out too hard at the gym, this oftentimes causes a pull on the neck muscles (sternocleidomastoids). These muscles will pull on the slipped discs and make them worse. This is why a more carefully crafted exercise program for TMD cases has been developed.

One of the most important aspects of exercise for the TMJ patient is to make sure you do not lift above the height of the shoulder. A guide would be to not lift above the arm when it is stretched out horizontally. The reason for this is that the body will tend to ‘detach’ from this motion, and you will lose strength. Example: If you swam the ‘crawl’ as it is called, your arms would go above the shoulders, and you would pull the water toward you. In this action, you will stress the muscles in the neck and inadvertently pull on and potentially damage the discs in the joints. This is why over-the-shoulder lifting must be avoided.

There is a nicely modified program for TMD patients that involves being careful to protect the joints while still getting in a good workout. Some of these exercises involve using the elliptical machine. As an example, the Peloton is a quality elliptical type of workout. It is not recommended to use the treadmill because it is so much like running that the neck gets pounded. This can hurt the discs as well. There are several other modifications of exercise programs, but they need individual attention and modification per patient.

The post Considerations When You Have TMD first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.