The Hidden Link Between Sleep Apnea & Teeth Grinding
Picture this: snoring disrupts the quality rest you and your partner need. Sleep apnea robs you of quality sleep. Teeth grinding puts your jaw and teeth under constant strain. Alone, each is a problem. Together, they're a triple threat to your health, mood, and overall quality of life.
Understanding how they're connected is the first step to breaking the cycle. In this blog, we'll discuss what sleep apnea, snoring, and bruxism are, their possible relationship, and practical steps to reduce their impact — of course, with a little help from ClearClub.
What Are Sleep Apnea and Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)?
💤 Sleep Apnea at a Glance
As explained by WebMD, sleep apnea is a serious condition where your breathing stops and starts repeatedly while you sleep. There are two main types:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which happens when the soft tissues in the back of your throat relax too much and block your airway.
- Central Sleep Apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send the right signals to the muscles that help you breathe.
One of the most common signs of sleep apnea? Snoring — and not just the occasional light snore. We're talking about the kind that keeps partners awake and leads to a lot of elbow nudges in the middle of the night. Snoring is more common in people who are overweight, have poor muscle tone, unhealthy lifestyle habits, or are running on too little sleep.
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😬 Bruxism at a Glance
On the other hand, Cleveland Clinic defines bruxism as the grinding or clenching of teeth. To describe, it sounds like the sufferer is chewing on ice while they're asleep. It's linked to high cortisol levels, certain medications, and unhealthy lifestyles. Bruxism is categorized into two types:
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Daytime Bruxism or teeth grinding or jaw clenching during waking hours.
- Nighttime Bruxism or teeth grinding during waking hours.
Curious about the difference between the two types of bruxism? Check out our guide: Daytime vs. Nighttime Bruxism: Causes, Symptoms, and Fixes
How Sleep Apnea, Snoring, and Bruxism Are Linked
How Sleep Apnea and Bruxism Harm Your Teeth and Mouth
Sleep Apnea's Oral Impact
According to a study, OSA can lead to several complications, including mouth breathing. Breathing mainly through your mouth can cause bad breath, drooling during sleep, fatigue, hoarseness, and snoring.
The same study also found that disorders like bruxism, TMJ issues, changes in taste buds, and alterations in the palate and dental areas can develop as well. Mouth breathing can also strain your jaw, leaving it sore and tense by morning.
Bruxism's Oral Impact
Constant teeth grinding wears down your enamel, the protective barrier for the inner layers of your teeth. Without enamel, you become more vulnerable to tooth sensitivity, discoloration, cavities, and fractures.
Bruxism affects not only the quality of your sleep but also your mood the next morning. Excessive grinding can cause jaw tension, headaches, and fatigue — and it can even damage recent dental work like fillings, crowns, and implants.
Combined Impacts of Sleep Apnea and Bruxism on Oral Health
Because sleep apnea decreases saliva production, the risk of cavities increases. That's why it will cause even more damage as you grind. Experiencing sleep apnea and bruxism together can strain your jaw and leave it sore the next day.
When combined, they increase each other's impacts, accelerating oral damage and putting your long-term dental health at risk — causing even more damage as you grind. Experiencing sleep apnea and bruxism together can strain your jaw and leave it sore the next day.
When combined, they amplify each other's effects, accelerating oral damage and putting your long-term dental health at risk.
How ClearClub Helps You Manage Sleep Apnea and Bruxism
If you want to tackle sleep apnea and bruxism without the added cost of frequent dental visits, here are two strategies we recommend:
🎯 Strategy #1: Stress Mitigation
As we've mentioned earlier, stress is at the root of many headaches (not literally). According to the American Psychological Association (APA), it affects nearly every system in the body — including the respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems.
When the nervous system stays overactive due to stress, your sleep can suffer. This disruption can trigger issues like bruxism and may even worsen conditions such as sleep apnea, creating an endless loop.
Ways to Start Reducing Stress
- switching to a healthier diet
- reducing or getting rid of nicotine and other substances that disrupt sleep
- following a moderate exercise routine
- minimizing blue light exposure before bed
- practicing self-regulating techniques
These simple changes can help lessen teeth grinding and clenching and improve your overall quality of life. If you want more tips to lower your stress levels today, you can check out our top stress-management tips:
- Hobby-centered: [Five Hobbies To Give You Focus and Reduce Stress]
- Diet-focused: [Seven Dietary Tips to Mitigate Your Stress Levels]
- Zen-seeking: [Seven Hacks For Managing Stress (And Bruxism, Too)]
🎯 Strategy #2: Protecting Your Teeth From Bruxism Damage
Here's the kicker: a mouthguard is your teeth's most reliable ally against grinding and clenching. Choosing the right mouthguard for bruxism and sleep apnea can help you protect two of your most valuable assets — your budget and your enamel.
Click photo to learn more about the product.
For the best seamless enamel protection, we recommend our Clear Custom Night Guard. Crafted from FDA-approved, BPA-free, Latex-free and non-allergenic materials, these custom-molded acrylic guards protect your upper and lower teeth from constant grinding — without sacrificing durability and relief. They can also be worn during the day or outdoors if you often grind your teeth or clench your jaw in stressful situations.
If you want something colorful and expressive, you can also choose from a wide range of designs from our Multi-Colored Night Guards and Color Night Guards. Similar to our Clear Night Guard, both of these are custom-molded and made from the same materials. Also, they're perfect for protecting your teeth while letting your personality shine through a color of your choice.
Keep your smile protected year-round with our renewal plan, designed to maintain defense against the ongoing effects of bruxism and sleep apnea.
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Can stress really cause both bruxism and sleep apnea?
Yes. Stress can trigger muscle tension and changes in breathing patterns, which may contribute to both teeth grinding and sleep disruptions. Grinding or clenching is often the body's physical response to distress — and it can happen both during the day (such as in exams, interviews, or workouts) and at night.
❓ Can ClearClub night guards prevent sleep apnea?
ClearClub's custom night guards are designed primarily to protect against teeth grinding and clenching, day or night. While they're not a medical treatment for sleep apnea, they may help improve comfort and sleep quality for those with mild to moderate sleep apnea or TMJ by reducing jaw tension and tooth wear.
❓ How can I tell that I grind my teeth at night?
Symptoms of nighttime teeth grinding can show up as morning headaches, jaw tension, fatigue, tooth sensitivity, chipped or worn-down teeth, and thinning enamel. You can also ask a loved one to observe you while you sleep or have your dentist check for signs during your next visit.