A Holiday I Bet You Didn’t Know About

Center for TMJ & Sleep Solutions NW, Patient Education

December is here, which means the holiday season is in full swing. Although the holidays will be a little different this year, with cancelled holiday parties and family get-togethers, many of the stressors of the holiday will still remain. We can all appreciate and look forward to the new year quickly approaching. Besides being eager to say goodbye to the year that we have had, there is another fun reason to welcome the new year. Continue reading to learn about a little-known fun holiday celebrated on January 3rd.

The Relationship Between Sleep and Energy

Center for TMJ & Sleep Solutions NW, Patient Education, Sleep Apnea

Do you find that there are days your body feels energized and other days your body feels so sluggish you can’t imagine how you will make it through the day? Maybe your body feels great, but you are having a difficult time focusing on a task and feel your mind wandering. A Harvard Health Publishing article discusses how there is a direct relationship between sleep and the energy level you are feeling the next day. Read on to find out more.

Chronic Headaches

Center for TMJ & Sleep Solutions NW, Patient Education

What makes your head hurt? There are many causes for headaches, and it’s important to understand what they are in order to treat patients properly. One type of headache we often see in our patients is of vascular origin. There are nerve endings around the blood vessels that cushion and protect the brain from injury. When the blood vessels swell, they push against the brain causing a vascular headache. A migraine would be one example of this, where the nerve endings are hyper sensitized by a stimulus such as jaw joint inflammation or inflammation of the nose and sinuses.

Do You Enjoy The Outdoors?

Center for TMJ & Sleep Solutions NW, Patient Education

We hope you have been able to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather we are having. While COVID has put restrictions on our lives, we are fortunate to live in an area where we can exercise outdoors. Exercise is important for keeping our bodies in shape and elevating our mood. It can also reduce the risk of some diseases and illness. In fact, it can protect against lung damage and lessen the effects of COVID-19. Read more to find out how exercise plays an important role in keeping us safe and healthy.

Get Moving

Center for TMJ & Sleep Solutions NW, Patient Education, Sleep Apnea

We’re sure you know by now that the benefits of exercise are far-reaching. Not only does regular physical activity improve muscle strength and boost your endurance, but it also helps your cardiovascular system deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues to give you more energy. Exercise plays a key role in keeping you healthy. It’s no wonder that it would also have a positive affect on your sleep quality, something that every sleep apnea patient strives for.

Keep Your Appliance Clean

Center for TMJ & Sleep Solutions NW, Patient Education, Sleep Apnea, TMD

Your oral appliance works hard to help alleviate your TMD or sleep apnea systems. We understand it’s easy to forget about it once you take it out of your mouth, so we like to remind our patients every now and then about how to keep your appliance clean and in good condition. This will help extend the life of this important aid in your TMD or sleep apnea treatment. Read the tips below on how to care for your oral appliance.

Alcohol Aggravates Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Patient Education, Sleep Apnea

You probably know that drinking alcohol has an effect on your quality of sleep, but did you know that for sleep apnea patients, it can make symptoms worse? It’s been shown that moderate and heavy drinking can trigger obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), even in people who haven’t yet been diagnosed with the sleep disorder. What can you do about your alcohol consumption and sleep apnea?