Okay...now I'm going to call myself out as the master snorer that I am. I think my husband is about to give me the boot from our bedroom if it continues. He has been very tolerant but if he doesn't sleep with earplugs, I know I am waking him up throughout the night with the noise. I have been to my Allergist/ENT and they sent me for two different sleep studies. The first one yielded nothing and was a joke as I could barely sleep a wink in there hooked up to all the electrodes and wires. The second one was revealing....this time they had me take Ambien which knocked me out completely and lo and behold, I was snoring and experiencing obstructive sleep apnea. They woke me up at one point during the study and put me on a CPAP machine and all of the issues stopped once this was done. The diagnosis was that my lower jaw tends to "over-relax" and it drops backward which also causes my tongue to slip to the back of my throat. It then interferes with my breathing and obstructs my airway. This is what is causing the snoring. So, rather than the CPAP, I ended up getting a mouthpiece to advance my lower jaw and tongue to prevent the problem. I got the mouthpiece last week and the first night I used it, it worked. My husband says I am now quiet as a mouse all night and he cannot even hear me breathing. GREAT…right? NOPE! I have finally gotten used to the mouth thingy and yes, I do not have a dry mouth or sinus problems in the morning when I wake up but my teeth and jaw are killing me! This morning it felt like I went ten rounds with Mike Tyson and lost the fight! I am also getting headaches during the day on and off which I think are coming from this new anti-snoring device. Has anyone else ever dealt with what I am going through? Any suggestions or advice? My husband is thrilled with the quiet but I am dying from jaw pain now! I think I just traded in my snoring for possibly something worse! Do I give it more time to get used to the mouthpiece or is a warning that this is not something I should be using to fix the problem. They did not feel the issue was bad enough for the CPAP as a permanent fix. Not too mention, it looked and felt like I was on a respirator device! HELP!!!
I use a CPAP and LOVE it! I didn't have any problems getting used to it, and have used it successfully for 8 years now......
And.. odd thing is... using the CPAP also eased the jaw/TMJ issues I was having, since I'm no longer grinding my teeth at night, either.
My DH has your exact problem and he's been on a CPAP machine for many years. It's a life saver. I'm sure they explained to you that when you stop your breathing during the night, it affects your blood pressure to say nothing of your oxygen levels and tiredness during the day. You HAVE to breathe when you sleep. I'd suggest going back to the doctor and asking for the CPAP machine.
I'm a light sleeper (and sometimes snorer). DH has slept in a different room for the better part of the last 20 years. It has saved his health, our marriage and my sanity. Best of luck to you.
So sorry. Have you talked to the dentist about why this mouthpiece hurts you? I'd do that first and see if a different mouthpiece would give you relief on both counts.
A CPAP is certain an uncomfortable contraption, but not getting real rest is very detrimental to your health, as well as your marriage.
Hope you can resolve this problem!!
Did the jaw piece come from a dentist or over the counter? If over the counter, I would call your doctor and ask about how it might be affecting your jaw alignment and if there is a solution. They may need to customize it and/or work with a dentist on it. There are tons of muscles in your face/jaw/neck and they are being asked to work differently. But you should make sure that it's a normal adjustment period or find out if it's an issue that needs actual tweeking.
I have TMJ, so the right mouthpiece can make headaches go away - that's the reason I thought of the jaw/muscle tension connection.
I had a similar mouthpiece to treat TMJ years ago, & it did take some time to adapt. Your muscles are "fighting" the new placement, & need to be trained to accept it. The person who fitted you for the mouthpiece should be able to help.
(if it was not specifically cast & fit to your mouth, but simply a generic "one fits most" you might need to go to a specialist & have a cast made of your mouth & have one made to fit specifically)
Also wanted to add that I have found a lot of relief (of snorin & jaw pain) by changing my pillow. I now sleep with a contoured memory-foam pillow (Menards sold Serta brand for $20).
Good luck! T.
Here's the thing, if you have sleep apnea, you need to take care of it - so just going to another bedroom won't do. That would help your hubby but not you.
You need to call your doctor or the company who gave you the mouthpiece and tell them it doesn't fit right. You shouldn't be in that much pain. They will try some other options. Feel better.
I wonder if you are clenching your jaw on the device all night long and that is why your jaw hurts. That would also cause tension headaches I would think. It might be something that will take some time getting used to, but I'd talk with the Dr. that prescribed the device.
M
I'd look into having an adjusted mouthpiece, because the pain shouldn't be that bad for that long. Maybe an adjustment period, but not misery. You can check with a qualified dentist too - they often work in this area.
I do feel, though, that you should go back to the CPAP if you have to. Sleep apnea is more than just annoying to the spouse. You're not getting the rest that you need, no matter what you think - you're not getting REM sleep and that means you are not getting any restorative of healing sleep. You will, over time, be a health risk for many other conditions, and you (and your husband) are absolutely both risky drivers. Fatigued driving is a huge cause of accidents. Don't mess around with it. Who cares what it looks like when you turn the lights off? I've been there and I know. I tried mouth guards and now just realize I need the CPAP.
Another factor in obstructive sleep apnea is weight gain. If that's a problem for you, it's an added incentive to lose weight which can reduce the size of the tissues inside the mouth, and help alleviate the problem (although not always completely).
I would talk to your dentist. They may be able to prescribe something until you get used to the new position. You can also try taking some tylenol or motrin right before bed. This helped my son when he had his braces and his jaw was getting all shifted around.
Do you have a second bedroom?
I agree with Mommyc. Call the doctor who gave it to you to make sure it fits correctly. It may be that since the mouthpiece is holding your jaw in a different posture, your mouth and the muscles have to get used to it.
I know when I got my lower partial the side of my mouth was sore for about a month because the muscles on the inside of my cheek had become very relaxed sitting over the area where the teeth used to be. My mouth was very sore every night for the first month. Now the muscles have strengthened enough to hold the cheek up where it belongs and I no longer have any soreness.
I agree with the question below, do you have a second bedroom? my husband snores like crazy, especially when he is dead tired. On the late nights when he gets home after 11pm, he does sleep in the other room and I have a wave machine turned on so that I can't hear him... If I don't use it, I can hear him through the walls and doors (even if they are closed)....
This is a good setup because if he were in the same room, then I'd have to constantly wake him up (which I hate doing) as he needs his sleep.. but at the same time, I am also awake.... before the setup, I was always chasing sleep.......... and would become so tired by mid-afternoon.. then I'd have to take a nap.. which of course, meant I couldn't get to sleep at night.. it was a vicious cycle.. the setup allows for all family members to get some rest..
Talk to the doctor or dentist that gave you the mouthpiece. Make sure it fits you properly and that you're wearing it correctly. Ask them if extreme pain is normal in the beginning or if your experience is out of the ordinary. I can't imagine that users of these devices feel constant pain every night, so either you're supposed to get used to it or it doesn't fit you right.
