<p>Determination of Inflammatory Markers, Hormonal Disturbances, and Sleepiness Associated with Sleep Bruxism Among Adults</p>

Abstract

Purpose Sleep bruxism (SB) is characterized by repetitive phasic, tonic, or mixed masticatory muscle activity during sleep with multifactorial etiology. Previous studies have shown that the complex origin of SB can be related to the psychological features of the affected individual, consumption of caffeine and alcohol, smoking, obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, increased body mass index, hypertension, thyroid diseases, and probable genetic vulnerability. This study aimed to investigate the inflammatory markers, hormonal disturbances, and sleepiness associated with SB, which have a potential effect on the total cardiovascular (CV) risk among relatively young and healthy patients. Patients and Methods A total of 74 individuals with probable SB were subjected to single-night polysomnography, followed by blood panel and 24-h urinary excretion tests. The level of daytime sleepiness was assessed in the participants using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Results SB was found in 78.4% of participants. The bruxism episode index (BEI) positively correlated with the concentrations of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen in the collected urine samples. A positive correlation was also found between phasic BEI and glucose concentration 2 h after the consumption of glucose solution. Sleep bruxers showed significantly increased sleepiness compared to nonbruxers ( p = 0.02). The scores on sleepiness were positively correlated with mixed BEI, minimal oxygen saturation, and mean heart rate. Conclusion The results of this study revealed that participants with SB had metabolic and hormonal disturbances, probably due to stress and sympathetic activity. Moreover, it was found that young sleep bruxers potentially have a high CV risk due to the increased level of inflammatory and stress markers.

Cardiovascular Implications of Sleep Bruxism—A Systematic Review with Narrative Summary and Future Perspectives

“…Most of the revised papers investigated bruxism events during sleep with polysomnography [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], three studies collected data using polygraphy devices [ 27 , 28 , 30 ] and one employed a sleep bruxism monitoring system composed of two accelerometers, an infrared camera, electroencephalography, electromyography and electrocardiography devices [ 31 ].…”

“…Some studies focused on blood pressure in the context of sleep bruxism [ 29 , 30 , 32 , 35 ]; others evaluated changes in heart rate (heart rate variability, HRV) [ 24 , 26 , 28 , 33 ] in sleep bruxers. One study determined inflammatory markers and hormonal disturbances as cardiovascular risk factors [ 34 ].…”

“…The study of increased inflammatory markers in sleep bruxers introduced by our research team has the advantage that, to our knowledge, it is the first research of this type in this field. Michalek-Zrabkowska et al [ 34 ] demonstrated that the bruxism episode index positively correlated with the concentrations of plasma C-reactive protein and fibrinogen and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids in the collected urine samples independently of AHI and BMI. Escalated inflammatory markers are associated with increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; thus, this aspect of the research suggests increased CV risk associated with SB.…”

“…The reviewed literature was also heterogeneous with respect to SB diagnostic criteria. Five recent studies [ 30 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ] defined RMMA/SB events depending on EMG recordings in line with AASM standards [ 10 ]. On the other hand, Nashed et al [ 29 ], Huynh et al [ 27 , 28 ] and Kato et al [ 26 ] diagnosed SB according to validated research criteria demonstrated by Lavigne et al [ 38 ].…”

Effect of Sleep Bruxism Intensity on Blood Pressure in Normotensives

“…This result highlights that little is known about the implications of SB for general health. Metabolic and hormonal disturbances related to the increased level of inflammatory and stress markers were found in young sleep bruxers in a prior study by our research team [ 34 ]. Several existing studies in the broader literature have examined clinical implications of SB on oral health and sleep-related disorders [ 9 , 23 , 35 ].…”