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The Bruxism Solution · On Kindle

The brain's night-time clean-up, and what your mouth has to do with it

Mohamed Basha

Oct 27

1 min read

Do You Know? For patients.

During deep sleep, the brain clears waste products more efficiently. Researchers call this the glymphatic system.

What the research shows

In a landmark study in mice, sleep increased the space between brain cells by about 60%, speeding up the removal of waste such as beta-amyloid.
Studies in people are still developing, but they point the same way: good, unbroken sleep matters for the brain.

Where the mouth comes in

Snoring, mouth breathing and sleep apnoea break up deep sleep.
Sleep grinding (sleep bruxism) often occurs together with sleep disruption.
Signs a dentist may notice include worn teeth, a scalloped tongue, a narrow airway or a sore jaw on waking.

If you snore, grind or wake unrefreshed, mention it. Your dentist can check for signs and refer you to a sleep doctor when needed.

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This article is general information and not a substitute for an examination.

Reference

Xie L, et al. Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science. 2013;342(6156):373-7. doi:10.1126/science.1241224

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