Just like the 12th day in the song, this 12th tip can help you sleep.  A partridge in a pear tree is difficult to find….but just like grandmas used to say, a warm glass of milk before bed is actually good advice.

1.  Cherries–Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body’s internal clock to regulate sleep.  Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommended eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.

2.  Bananas–Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both.  They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain.  The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

3.  Toast–Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.

4.  Oatmeal–Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals.  Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.

5.  Warm milk.  Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin.  It’s also high in calcium which promotes sleep.

To get better sleep and help lessen pain, there are several situations to avoid.  As we get older, the “urge” in the middle of the night to hit the bathroom can be lessened if you stop drinking all liquids 4 to 5 hours before going to bed, especially those with caffeine.  Liquids fill up the bladder which is slightly uncomfortable and fortunately wakes you up.  Caffeine constricts the small blood vessels going into your muscles.  This tightening up of the blood supply means that your muscles do not get rejuvenated the way they should and you hurt more.

There are hundreds of medical problems related to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).  Here at Tip #10 are ten detrimental impacts on your body caused by OSA.

1. High Blood Pressure

2. Heart Disease

3. Stroke

4. Brain Damage

5. Depression

6. Type 2 diabetes

7. Obesity

8. Fibromyalgia

9. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

10. Death

Every cell in your body needs oxygen.  When you stop breathing due to OSA, every cell becomes depleted in O2 and begins to deteriorate.  If you snore, if someone has told you you gasp while sleeping, if you are tired during the day…get checked.  This tip #10 could save your life.

SANTA KLEIN AND TWO OF HIS MANY rein-DEARS.

When the TM Joint and its supporting muscles are acting up, the treatment and care should include getting enough sleep.  During deep sleep (R.E.M.), the muscles of our body get relaxed and rejuvenated.  Ever see a small baby being picked up?  They’re loose like a rag doll.  Even adults need this nighttime tune-up.  TMJ dysfunction patients or patients with any musculoskeletal pain require the healing powers of sleep.

Just as someone with bad knees or a bad back should not cross their legs when sitting…someone with a TMJ problem should not lean on their chin.  The hand to the chin that Rodin sculpted in the Thinker could put unnecessary pressure on the weak TM Joint making more problems for it.

Your teeth come together and touch 3,000 times each day.  People who grind their teeth when stressed or while sleeping have even more contact.  This is a major reason why an orthotic (mouthpiece) is provided for TMJ patients.  The orthotic protects the teeth, the jaw joints, and allow the muscles to relax and to heal.  Our technician, Kerri, wears a TMJ orthotic.

What increases snoring and obstructive sleep apnea?  Anything that irritates the throat or relaxes it too much.  Drinking alcohol before bedtime relaxes the throat and increases snoring and throat collapsing.  Smoking also irritates the soft tissue making it swell up and block the airway.  Cutting down or eliminating both for a few hours before going to bed can be extremely beneficial to your health.

If you have a TMJ problem, never chew ice or hard candy.  They don’t “chew”, they break and when they do, your jaw joint crashes onto the TMJ disc inside the joint.  It’s like putting a pancake on the floor and jumping on it with a pair of high heels.  That definitely is not a good thing for a TM Joint.

If you have face pain after dental work or cleaning, it may be due to muscles tightening.  A simple, yet helpful, solution to prevent this is for you to be in control during your procedure by placing your finger tips on your cheeks as you are being worked on.  This will help you to feel less vulnerable.   Believe me, it does help.  Most of my TMJ patients agree.

One very typical and easy tip for pain management is finding something in your life to distract you from concentrating on your pain.  Some people find Yoga helpful.  For my chronic pain, I read novels to distract my thinking about pain.  One of our patients, Stephen, found a truly great distraction.  His new son, Hunter, is his pain relief and his best Christmas present ever…just look at his face—it was tense, grim, and appeared painful when I met him.  Now he is all smiles (but probably not having silent nights).