What better time than the spooky season to talk about nightmares? Do you experience them often? Are you constantly exhausted despite sleeping 8 hours every night? Ever wake up gasping for air in the middle of the night? If this sounds familiar, it’s possible you’re suffering from sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder. In this article, we’ll discuss how this issue may relate to having nightmares, as well as some dental treatments for apnea you can look into.
First of All – What is Sleep Apnea?
As defined by Oxford Languages, sleep apnea is “a sleeping disorder in which the temporary cessation of breathing occurs more often than normal during sleep, and can cause hypoxemia and sleep deprivation.” To put it in simpler terms, you stop breathing often in the middle of the night, which interrupts your sleep. In the most common form of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you stop breathing because your throat narrows and your airway is closed off. It keeps you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, which is what makes many who have sleep apnea feel tired all the time.
OK, But What Does That Have to Do with Nightmares?
Your brain is still at work while you’re asleep. When it’s not receiving oxygen, it goes into high alert and tells the body to get some air by any means necessary – hence the waking up choking and gasping.
Let’s say you do manage to get into the deeper cycles of sleep where dreaming occurs. If it’s here where the oxygen supply begins to falter, your brain may trigger stressful, unsettling responses to get you to wake up, and that’s where nightmares come in.
What Kind of Nightmares?
Your brain could manufacture any kind of anxious or stressful scenario to scare you out of your sleep. Because your airway is closed, sleep apnea sufferers often will dream that they’re drowning or being choked. It will often be vivid, memorable, and seem as real to you as something that actually happened.
Nightmares stem from negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety. The bad dream you have could be indicative of something that’s been worrying you a lot lately, or even something you’ve been afraid of since you were a child. Those bad childhood dreams could even return.
What Can I Do About Nightmares/Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene means practicing good habits during the day and evening that will prepare you for the best chance at quality sleep at night.
Some of them include:
- Exercising, but not too close to bedtime.
- Cutting out caffeine around 4 to 6 hours prior to your bedtime.
- Avoiding alcohol in the evening.
- Turning off any blue light sources an hour before bed, including phones, televisions, and computer screens.
Sleep Apnea
The other piece of quality sleep is what you can do during the night to keep breathing.
- Oral appliance therapy: There are many sleep dentists out there who can provide you with a custom device to wear at night. Pop it in over your teeth like you would a retainer or mouthguard, and the appliance gently repositions your jaw alignment to keep the tissues in your airway from collapsing.
- CPAP machine: You may be more familiar with this option. You wear a face mask to bed that’s attached to a machine, and the machine essentially pumps air into your mouth and/or nose via the mask. For some people it’s great, but for others, it’s too invasive and only makes sleeping more difficult.
Ready to say good night to the nightmares? Consult a sleep specialist for a sleep apnea diagnosis. If it comes back positive, remember: you have choices! For your sake, choose to practice good sleep hygiene and explore professional treatment.
About the Practice
Our team is dedicated to helping you get the quality sleep you both need and deserve. If sleep apnea has thrown you for a curve, you do not have to live with it! We offer custom-made oral appliances for each of our patients and treatment from doctors with extensive sleep dentistry training. Contact us online for more information and scheduling or call our Silver Spring office at (301) 460-3331.