There is a stereotype in medicine that nearly kept me and my entire family from getting diagnosed…for decades.
Most people think sleep apnea means an overweight man in his 60s…and that couldn’t be further from the case.
Back when I was in my 30s, 40s, and 50s, I was in good shape, lean, and eating well, and yet, I had undiagnosed sleep apnea.
I wasn’t waking up tired, but I was more irritable than I should have been. The truth is that I didn’t even realize what I was missing! The medical system didn’t catch it—but dental sleep medicine did.
Lately I’ve been getting a flood of questions from readers about snoring, teeth grinding, daytime fatigue, restless sleep, and kids who mouth breathe. These are all signs of sleep-disordered breathing. This isn’t just about being tired. It affects judgment, mood, creativity, memory—your entire cognitive life!
There is a strong link between sleep disorders and anxiety and depression. Yet when people are diagnosed with anxiety or depression, they’re rarely screened for sleep issues. I imagine a future where that changes. I believe that future starts with dentists.
Dentists are the only healthcare providers who see the airway up close. We see how jaws are developing. We listen to how patients breathe. We observe what happens to their breathing when they’re lying back in a chair, similar to what happens to their breathing perhaps when lying in bed. We see up close the subtle signs—grinding, erosion, tongue scalloping, dry mouth. We’re in a position to ask better questions.
Sleep is the root. In my private practice, I saw it again and again. Once a patient’s sleep improves, everything else becomes easier. Blood sugar, depression, anxiety all stabilize. Blood pressure improves. Cravings quiet down. The brain finally has time to repair.
That’s been true for my own family. Once my wife and I fixed our sleep disordered breathing, it changed everything. Our daughters are still working through it. Two are in the middle of MARPE. My four-year-old grandson has a palate expander from an airway-focused orthodontist, one of the many wonderful dentists on the Functional Dentist Directory.
Sleep isn’t a side project. It’s the project.
If you’re going to focus on one thing, make it sleep. Not diet. Not exercise. Fix sleep first, and everything else becomes doable.
Here are my must-haves for quality sleep. If you’re ready to fix your sleep, I recommend you check out my book.
1. Mouth tape + mandibular advancement device
I wear a custom oral appliance (I made mine, but any airway-trained dentist can make you one—find one near you here and here) to keep my airway open. I tape my mouth to encourage nasal breathing.
2. Vinyl + Book
I like to listen to a record or read a book in bed with my wife. Oura rings and cellphones go into airplane mode. No screentime!
3. Walk after dinner
I treasure these post-dinner walks with my wife. Plus they help us both with digestion, blood sugar, and circadian rhythm.
4. No food after dinner
Your body needs to clear digestion before it can make melatonin. Late-night snacks delay that.
5. Magnesium + digestive enzymes
I take this magnesium 1-2 hours before bed and these enzymes with dinner. Magnesium helps me tremendously with sleep quality, muscle recovery, and calm. Enzymes help me digest dinner fully to support absorbing the amino acids needed to make melatonin. Seriously—if your digestion is less-than-ideal, it could be affecting your melatonin production and your sleep quality. (I explain how digestion affects sleep in this previous newsletter.)
6. Brush, floss, tongue scrape, oil pull
I use a stainless steel tongue scraper, a Sonicare brush, and this nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste, which is formulated without peppermint essential oils (so there’s no neurostimulant effect right before bed.)
I love this mouthwash alternative—an MCT oil blend with CoQ10 for gum support that is oral microbiome friendly and a major upgrade to traditional coconut oil pulling. I look forward to rinsing with it every day.
The expensive DiamondClean Sonicare is what I use in all my videos, but don’t buy it. This $20 model works just as well.
The only useful upgrade when it comes to electric toothbrushes is perhaps the pressure sensor—but if you’re on a budget, you can brush with your non-dominant hand. No matter which electric toothbrush you go with, make sure you throw out the toothbrush head the brush comes with, and only use “sensitive” heads.
If you have a question about your sleep, I want to hear about it—I’ll be writing more about sleep in coming newsletters. Hit reply and tell me.
-Dr. B
P.S. One of my patients said treating her sleep disordered breathing gave her the courage to finally get out of a dysfunctional relationship. Another said treatment gave him back evenings with his kids.