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Like most people these days, you probably know that losing sleep isn’t good. Your body suffers when you don’t get enough shut eye. That said, did you know sleep deprivation can cause unwanted thoughts? You’re less able to stop unpleasant ideas if you skimp on snoozing. However, there is one good way to resolve the issue: sleep apnea treatment. With this option, you’re much more likely to get a better night’s rest. To learn more, here’s a summary of the matter from a local dental practice.

Context: What Is Sleep Deprivation?
To be clear, sleep deprivation is when you don’t get enough quality sleep. The average adult needs 7-9 hours of it nightly, so anything less disrupts your life.

Sleep deprivation can happen for various reasons. For example, you might have to work a night shift. Alternatively, things like high stress or late-day caffeine might keep you awake. A person can also become sleep-deprived due to a medical condition.

Sleep deprivation’s effects worsen as the issue persists. At first, a person may have symptoms like daytime sleepiness, fatigue, irritability, or trouble thinking. Extended sleep loss, though, will result in trouble speaking, impaired judgment, and impulsive behavior. A person could even suffer hallucinations if it goes on long enough.

Sleep Loss Causes Unwanted Thoughts
Recently, it’s been found that sleep loss can lead to unwanted thoughts. Those who are sleep-deprived aren’t good at resisting intrusive ideas and images.

A 2020 University of York study backs these findings. In the latter, researchers found that the sleep-deprived had far more intrusive thoughts than good sleepers. The study’s lead author, Dr. Marcus Harrington, has further supported this conclusion. In his own words, “Sleep loss has a considerable impact on our ability to keep unwanted thoughts out of our minds.”

Put simply, your lack of sleep could be messing with your head. You’d thus be wise to address the matter as soon as possible.

A Great Solution: Sleep Apnea Treatment
Thankfully, a fix for your fitful nights already exists: sleep apnea treatment. This service from your local dentist can easily improve your sleep quality.

If you don’t already know, sleep apnea is a fairly severe sleep disorder. It happens when your upper airway becomes blocked while you snooze. Due to said blockage, your body wakes you up just enough to resume breathing. Unfortunately, this reflex interrupts your sleep cycle and prevents deep rest.

Fortunately, dentists have several ways to treat sleep apnea. One is the traditional CPAP machine – a device that sends air through your throat. Another option is oral appliance therapy, which has you wear a mouthguard-like item that stops airway blockages. Some practices can even perform sleep apnea surgery as a last resort. Clearly, then, you can trust a dentist to help you breathe easily at night.

With a qualified dentist’s care, you can avoid unwanted thoughts from sleep loss. Given that fact, see your local dental provider soon for sleep apnea treatment. Your mind and body will thank you for doing so!

Dentists often stress how certain foods and drinks affect the mouth. For instance, many will tell you that sugar decays teeth and calcium enhances them. Still, patients don’t hear much about alcohol’s effects on oral health (if any). This fact has led to various myths surrounding the matter. Fortunately, it’s not hard to separate the facts from the fiction. Your local dentist can even help. Here are five myths about alcohol and oral health and why they aren’t true.

Myth #1: “Alcohol Helps You Stay Hydrated”
The Myth: One popular belief about alcohol is that it hydrates you. “After all,” many think, “isn’t it a refreshing drink?” Alcoholic beverages use water as a base, so the assumption is that their ingredients will keep your mouth moist.

The Truth: In reality, drinks with a high alcohol content can dry out your mouth. Such dryness can then cause bad breath and raise your risk of cavities. Without saliva to moisten your mouth and remove plaque, harmful bacteria can gather on your teeth.

Myth #2: “Adding Citrus Makes Alcohol Healthier for Teeth”
The Myth: Some believe that citrus can make alcohol healthier for teeth. This view likely stems from the idea that lemon juice whitens enamel. If a spritz of lemon or orange can brighten a smile, surely it can also strengthen a grin.

The Truth: Unfortunately, adding citrus to alcohol would only harm your teeth. The ADA notes that even a squeeze of lemon has enough acid to erode tooth enamel. Therefore, adding it to a cocktail will only increase your odds of tooth decay.

Myth #3: “Drinking Alcohol Often Cleanses Your Teeth”
The Myth: Yet another assumption is that alcoholic drinks can cleanse teeth. In particular, the thought is that their contents would kill the bacteria in your mouth. Rubbing alcohol can disinfect a wound, so can’t a beer do something similar for your smile?

The Truth: Truthfully, high alcohol use puts teeth in great danger. Heavy drinkers are more likely to get cavities, as they may suffer dry mouth and neglect their oral hygiene. Furthermore, drinking alcohol can lead people to eat tooth-decaying carbs to satisfy their “munchies.”

Myth #4: “Beer Won’t Stain Your Teeth”
The Myth: While many drinks can stain teeth, some people hold that beer isn’t one of them. It lacks the darkness of red wine and is semi-transparent. As such, the thinking goes that beers will leave your teeth as shiny and white as ever.

The Truth: Unfortunately, beer can (and often does) stain teeth. Many brands feature dark barley and malts that darken enamel. Furthermore, a beer’s chromogens – the chemicals that determine its color – can stain teeth compromised by alcohol’s acidity.

Myth #5: “Alcohol Has No Severe Effects on Oral Health”
The Myth: In some places, a few will assert that alcohol can’t do major damage to your mouth. It may make you drunk or harm your liver, but it won’t seriously harm your oral health. Consequently, drinking will leave your teeth, gums, and other mouth tissues fairly intact.

The Truth: If consumed in excess, alcohol will certainly damage your mouth. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) notes that alcohol is the 2nd most common risk factor for oral cancer. Furthermore, alcoholics have higher levels of teeth plaque and tend to suffer from permanent tooth loss.

Ultimately, you should know how alcohol and oral health relate. That being the case, remember the facts above and visit your local dental practice!