TMD, headaches and sleep apnea
What is temporomandibular disorders-tmd
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are disorders that develop from problems with the fit between the upper and lower teeth, the jaw joint, and the muscles in the face that control chewing and moving the jaw.
CAUSES:
- Injury
- Underdeveloped upper and lower jaws
- Teeth grinding
- Stress
- Disc dislocation
- Presence of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
signs and symptoms of tmj disorders
- Pain or tenderness of your jaw
- Pain in one or both of the temporomandibular joints
- Aching pain in and around your ear
- Difficulty chewing or pain while chewing
- Aching facial pain
- Locking of the joint, making it difficult to open or close your mouth
TMJ disorders can also cause a clicking sound or grating sensation when you open your mouth or chew. But if there's no pain or limitation of movement associated with your jaw clicking, you probably don't need treatment for a TMJ disorder.
TMD and sleep apnea
One study found that 43% of people with TMD also have problems sleeping. So what’s the link between TMD and sleep apnea? When the airway collapses as it does with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the body’s automatic response is to push the lower jaw forward to open up the airway. This constant motion of the TMJ throughout the night can cause a lot of stress and tension in the jaw joint and is the primary reason TMD and sleep apnea go hand-in-hand.
TMD is also known to be linked with chronic fatigue syndrome which can exacerbate sleep apnea and impact your overall health. It could also be the physical position or misalignment of your jaw (malocclusion) that prevents the airway from staying open while you sleep. When you think about how connected your airway is to the position of your jaw, the connection between sleep apnea and TMD becomes very clear.
headaches
A relationship between headaches and sleep apnea has been recognized for a long time. In fact, the International Classification of Headache Disorders recognizes sleep apnea headaches as frequent morning headaches that last less than 4 hours and occur in the presence of a score of greater than or equal to 5 on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). An apnea-related headache may present in the form of a migraine, a tension-type or cluster headache, or a nonspecific headache.
In a 2010 study, pain researchers from Missouri State University revealed that sleep deprivation causes the body to increase production of the proteins that cause chronic pain. The study also demonstrated that these proteins reduce the body's pain threshold and can trigger migraine headaches.
Other studies point to hypoventilation during sleep as a possible cause for morning headaches. Hypoventilation is a state in which the amount of air entering the lungs is insufficient and results in decreased oxygen levels and increased carbon dioxide levels in the blood.
When an OSA sufferer stops breathing repeatedly during the night, his or her brain receives less oxygen. This causes the blood vessels in the head to widen and can trigger vascular headaches.