Sleep apnea and headaches are related in several different ways. A TMJ dentist will often be the first health care professional to diagnose that a patient has sleep apnea because temporal headache is one of the most common TMJ symptom. The headaches tend to be in the back of the head below the skull. This is called the occipital area because that the name of the back bottom part of the skull.

          Sleep apnea and headaches are related because of the effects that OSA has on muscles. You can think of muscles at the strings on a puppet. When you tighten a muscle, it's like pulling a string on the puppet and there is an associated response. When a string on a puppet is pulled, the puppet moves. When a muscle tightens, part of the body moves. There are many small little muscles in the back of the head that tighten and lift the front of the head upwards.

          Sleep apnea and headaches are related because most patients with OSA have allergies. They have blocked nasal passages and can't breath through their noses. This obstruction converts a patient to a mouthbreather which requires the patient to open his or her mouth. Mouth breathing is assisted by rotating the head backwards just like you do when you do CPR. The constant pulling back of the head causes muscle spasm and pain in the occipital muscles.

          Because of the relationship between sleep apnea and headaches, Dr. Padolsky, our sleep apnea dentist, often sees patients with a number of related problems. They all have to be sorted out correctly and treated appropriately by the correct health care professionals. It takes time but it is certainly worth it when you consider that many of these patients have been suffering with pain and exhaustion for many years. If you would like to make an appointment to consult with Dr. Padolsky, call 404-874-7428.