It seems that a good number of sleep apnea patients have problems with this condition. According to the National library of Medicine and National Institute of Health bruxism rarely occurs alone and that many of those who have it also have sleep apnea.

One possible cure would be a dental device which would prevent the teeth from clenching and grinding. But many feel that dental devices only help those with mild sleep apnea. Of course if you didn’t have sleep apnea, the dental device would probably cure the bruxism.

The cpap machine might help with your teeth clenching and grinding as well as the sleep apnea. The continuous air would keep your mouth open as well as your teeth.

Obstructive sleep apnea is where there is blockage of the airway in the back of the throat. This blockage causes the sleep apnea sufferer to wake up hundreds of times a night because the brain has stopped receiving oxygen.  Millions of people suffer from this all over the world. There are also millions that have this condition and don’t know it.

In order to find out if you have sleep apnea you would go to a doctor, either a ENT or a pulmonologist (lung doctor). After describing your sleeping patterns they would probably set you up for a sleep study.

A sleep study is an overnight study in a hospital or specialized office. There are rooms set up as bedrooms with video cameras that are connected into another room where sleep techs observe your sleeping. You are also connected to wires that measure your brain waves and the number of times that you wake up when your airway is blocked.

The test takes all night and the tech will send the report to your doctor.

After examining the report the doctor can then determine whether you have sleep apnea or not. If you do have sleep apnea the usual cure is the cpap machine. The cpap machine blows air through a tube into a mask that fits over your face. This continuous air will force the airway to stay open making sure that you don’t stop breathing in the night. The only drawback to using the cpap is that not everyone is comfortable wearing a mask at night and the sound of the machine can also be cumbersome.

Alternatives to the cpap mask are dental devices and surgery, which is usually the last resort for sleep apnea.

Many people believe that all sleep apnea patients are overweight. That isn’t necessarily true. An enlarged tongue and tonsils  also may block the airway.  Certain face shapes may also cause sleep apnea.