Lack of Sleep Can Affect Your Oral Health Too!

Good afternoon!

With this being the end of National Sleep Awareness Week, we thought it would be appropriate to share an article on how sleep, or lack thereof, can affect your oral health. It seems to be common knowledge to most people that a chronic lack of sleep can damage your overall health and increase your risks for things like heart attack and stroke. You may have also experienced firsthand how it affects your ability to make clear decisions and focus. But what most people aren't aware of is that a chronic lack of sleep can also change your oral health.. for the worse!

"Chronic sleep deprivation can also raise your risk of gum disease – or make existing perio problems worse. In fact, research suggests that it’s more damaging than either chronic stress or daily alcohol use. Only smoking – the number one risk factor for gum disease – has a bigger impact.

In general, the risk goes up for those who sleep 6 hours a night or less – a figure in line with the latest guidelines released by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. They recommend 7 to 8 hours minimum for healthy adults to keep their risk low of any health problems associated with chronic sleep debt – and give no upper limit for sleep."

So, are you getting enough zzzs each night?

Learn more by reading the entire article here.


If you are concerned about your sleep patterns and the health of your gums... come visit us for a friendly, non-judgmental checkup. www.germantowndentalcare.com