Assessing the legitimacy of sleep disorders
December 10, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Treatments
Emergency, Emergency, 911, 911!
If you, or your partner is living with an undiagnosed sleep disorder not only could your health be at risk, but your relationship is certainly to be under severe strain! A little bit of information can go a long way toward understanding why people can live with sleep apnea and hypopnea for years or decades(!) without even realizing that there is a problem. Untreated sleep disorders can lead to chronic fatigue, decreased quality of life, marital breakdown and even death (try taking the PT Cruiser for a spin while falling asleep at the wheel…).
The biggest reason why people with sleep disorders do not realize that they are ill is THAT THEY ARE SLEEPING while the symptoms are present… Nowadays you won’t find too many people who don’t complain of being overworked and under-slept so how do you determine the ones who have legitimate sleeping disorders?
Well, partners or family members who have the opportunity to observe a person while at rest can provide a great deal of information. Approximately 18 million Americans live with Sleep Apnea (the temporary cessation of breathing while sleeping) and people who observe their partners seemingly stop breathing, gasp for breath or “underbreathe” are probably witnessing a sleeping disorder. In severe cases of Sleep Apnea, the affected is literally engaged in a nightly battle for sufficient oxygen to wake up in the morning. Because snoring is often occurring at the same time, partners are much more likely to react to the interruption to their own sleep by heading to the spare room or banishing the snorer to the couch than they are to note the more subtle signs of a sleep disorder.
To live with a sleep disorder is to be caught in a downward spiral. When people get less than 80% of the oxygen that they need each night, they awaken severely fatigued and are liable to exert themselves less the next day which in turn leads to decreased activity and energy levels. This, in turn, causes a predisposition to obesity which exacerbates the symptoms of sleep apnea. A person can fall so far behind in their work and responsibilities that trying increase activity in order to offset weight gain becomes nigh on impossible. At this point, people with severe sleep disorders are completely consumed by just trying to make it through to the end of each day.
Unquestionably, people who suspect they may be living with sleep disorders should seek medical treatment. With treatment, the prognosis for sleep disorder sufferers is excellent. Weight management can be a solution but specially fitted breathing apparatus (worn only at night!) can also help people to awake sufficiently refreshed to make the kinds of life changes they need to make in order to stay healthy in the long term.
Anyone with the slightest suspicion that he or she, or someone they love, is living with an eating disorder should consult with a family doctor. Given that the stress associated with not sleeping can lead to the breakup of families, that the disorder is relatively easily managed, and it can be treated so very confidentially, there really is little excuse to not seek help.
Treatment Approaches for Bruxism in Children
Sleep problems are frequent among healthy school going children seen at general pediatric practice. Sleep related problems were reported in 42.7% children that included nocturnal enuresis (18.4%), sleep talking (14.6%), bruxism (11.6%) nightmares (6.8%), night terrors (2.9%) snoring (5.8%) and sleepwalking (1.9%). Bruxism is a destructive habit. It is defined as the nonproductive diurnal or nocturnal clenching or grinding of the teeth.
Bruxism happens in about 15 percent of youngsters and in as many as 96 percent of grown-ups. The etiology of bruxism is unclear. It has been linked with stress, occlusal disorders, allergies and sleep positioning. In addition, type A personality behavior combined with stress is more predictive of bruxism. Because of its nonspecific pathology, bruxism may be difficult to diagnose.
Beside complaints from sleep partners, clenching-grinding, sleep bruxism, myofacial pain, craniomaxillofacial musculoskeletal pain, temporomandibular disorders, oro-facial pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue spectrum disorders are linked. The main clinical signs of bruxism comprise tooth wear, tooth mobility, hypertrophy masticatory muscles, and tender joints. Other symptoms of bruxism are multiple and diverse. They include temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction, head and neck pain, erosion, abrasion, loss of and damage to supporting structures, headaches, oral infection, tooth sensitivity muscle pain and spasm, disturbance of aesthetics, and interference and oral discomfort.
Treatment for bruxism may be simple or complex, depending on the nature of the disorder. Severe bruxism disorders are difficult to treat and their prognoses also may be questionable. Children with bruxism are generally managed with observation and reassurance. Most of the children’s bruxism habit will disappear naturally as they grow up. Adults may be managed with stress reduction therapy, modification of sleep positioning, drug therapy, biofeedback training, physical therapy and dental evaluation. Correction of the malocclusion with orthodontic procedures, restorative procedures, or occlusal adjustment by selective grinding will not control the bruxism habit.
What about prevention? Researchers have found only a weak correlation between different types of morphologic malocclusion such as Class II and III molar relationship, deep bite, overjet, and dental wear or grinding. Moreover, there is no correlation between periodontal disease and bruxism in children. Because the malocclusions’ status in children does not increase the probability of bruxism, early orthodontic treatment (braces) to prevent bruxism is not scientifically justified.
Bruxism is a destructive habit that may result in severe dental deterioration. Bruxism in childhood may be a persistent trait. The occlusal trauma and tooth wear in childhood bruxism can be succeeded by increased anterior tooth wear 20 years later. If your child has significant tooth attrition, dental mobility or tooth fracture may happen. Therefore, it is mandatory to take your child to your dentist for evaluation of bruxism.
