Can A Dentist Fix Your Sleep Woes?
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What does your oral health have to do with a good night’s rest? As it turns out: a lot. Guelph, Ont.-based dentist Dr. Mandeep Johal shares three simple tips to improve your sleep.
Get a sleep assessment
As women age, declining collagen relaxes the soft palate in the back of the mouth, which can cause sleep disordered breathing—including upper airway resistance that can lead to snoring and frequent wake-ups. “Upper airway resistance is very underdiagnosed because women don’t snore as much as men do,” Johal says. To identify whether your oral health might be causing sleep issues, she recommends completing a sleep assessment (a questionnaire and oral exam) at your dentist’s office.
Related: Your Wearable Might Be Ruining Your Sleep
Reduce gum inflammation
When bad bacteria accumulates in the mouth, it can lead to gum inflammation and disease, which can disrupt sleep hormones, cause discomfort and pain and lead to mouth breathing. That’s why you should brush, floss and visit a dentist regularly, Johal says. “Peri/menopausal women [are also] going through hormonal changes that affect gums,” she adds. “If you already have gum disease, [perimenopause] will amplify it and make sleep even worse.”
Prevent mouth breathing
Mouth breathing often causes dry mouth and teeth grinding, both of which worsen sleep quality. While nasal strips and night guards can help in some cases, Johal recommends physiotherapy facial exercises specifically tailored to a patient’s soft tissues and muscles.
