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Good morning.

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant on the planet, and in dentistry, it’s part of our daily ritual. But what if the very thing our patients reach for to feel better is quietly sabotaging their sleep, increasing their bruxism, and stalling their healing?

This week, we zoom in on a powerful but often overlooked clinical opportunity:
Caffeine timing and sleep disruption.

The goal isn’t to demonize coffee or energy drinks, nor to judge lifestyle habits. It’s to equip you, as a front-line oral-systemic health advocate, with practical questions and evidence-based insight to uncover what might be hiding behind your patient’s fatigue, jaw pain, or stalled recovery.

In Today’s Edition:

This week’s issue helps you reframe caffeine as a powerful diagnostic and coaching opportunity, not just a lifestyle choice. Inside, you’ll find clinical tips, screening prompts, and practical strategies to help patients sleep better, grind less, and heal more predictably.

5-minute read👇

Clinical Corner 🥼

Use this issue to reframe caffeine as a patient-centered health opportunity, not a judgment.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Caffeine’s half-life (3–7 hours) can delay sleep onset, fragment deep sleep, and worsen fatigue and bruxism, especially when consumed after 12–2 p.m.

• Interrupted sleep disrupts the body's natural detox process, hormone regulation, and healing. key processes for recovery from TMJ pain, inflammation, and oral surgeries.

• Asking patients “What time was your last dose of caffeine yesterday?” can yield valuable insight into poor sleep, persistent fatigue, and OSA risk factors.

• Reassess bruxism, fatigue, and healing 2–4 weeks after a patient begins a caffeine cutoff, nasal routine, and consistent wind-down strategy.

Why It Matters: Caffeine, Bruxism & the Brain

Caffeine is often the go-to fix for patients struggling with daytime fatigue, but it may be fueling the very sleep disruptions that cause their symptoms. As stimulant use rises to offset tiredness, it masks deeper issues such as:

• Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD)

• Poor sleep hygiene

• Oral inflammation and impaired recovery

In one randomized crossover study, caffeine taken even 6 hours before bedtime significantly reduced total sleep time and sleep efficiency (Drake et al., 2013). Sleep architecture disruption, particularly decreased slow-wave sleep, reduces the brain’s glymphatic clearance and elevates cortisol, thereby undermining the natural healing responses essential for orofacial recovery.

Bruxism, which is often exacerbated by sympathetic overdrive and micro-arousals, is also linked to sleep fragmentation and hypoxia-triggered survival reflexes, as detailed in Dr. Bennett’s recent sleep-appliance training presentations.

How Much Caffeine Are You Really Drinking?

Comparing Popular Energy Drinks, Coffee & Tea

Many patients underestimate their caffeine intake — especially from energy drinks, cold brews, and "healthy" teas. Here's a quick reference you can include in your handouts, newsletters, or intake forms.

Clinical Script: 20-Second Caffeine Check-in

This simple, non-judgmental question helps patients feel safe, seen, and coached, rather than lectured. Combine this with an Epworth or STOP-BANG screener if fatigue or bruxism is present.

Add This to Your Medical History Form:

1. Caffeine intake (cups per day):

2. Time of last dose (typical day):

3. Energy drinks or pre-workout? Y/N

Quick Tips to Share with Patients:

• Set a caffeine cutoff time (ideally before 12–2 p.m.).

• Pair with a nasal hygiene routine (saline rinse, breath training).

• Create a wind-down ritual: No screens for 1 hour before bed, followed by a 10-minute meditation, a warm bath, or gratitude journaling.

• Reassess energy, sleep, or jaw tension in 2–4 weeks.

📊 Research Spotlight

1. Caffeine and Sleep Disruption

2. Bruxism, Hypoxia, and Sympathetic Drive

3. Sleep Loss Impairs Healing

Monday Morning Moves

• Add “Caffeine Cutoff” education to your hygiene or wellness visit.

• Include caffeine timing questions in intake forms.

• Use bruxism and fatigue as springboards into sleep-aware dentistry.

• Re-evaluate bruxism splint patients for underlying airway or stimulant-driven sleep disruption.

💬 Final Word:

Want to share this edition with your team or patients?
Download our printable handout: “Caffeine, Sleep & Your Smile.” 

Coach Cathy’s Corner

“But I Need My Pre-workout, Energy Drink …”

Rewriting the Story We Tell Ourselves About Caffeine & Fatigue

As a National Board–Certified Health & Wellness Coach, I’ve heard it dozens of times:

What if we flipped the script?

What if the fatigue is because of the caffeinated drinks?

Here’s the pattern I see in so many patients (and let’s be honest, some of us clinicians too):

1. Poor sleep → fatigue

2. Fatigue → more caffeine

3. More caffeine → worse sleep

4. Repeat cycle.

We call this the Caffeine-Fatigue Spiral, and for many people, it’s not a weakness or a lack of willpower. It’s a survival adaptation that made sense when they didn’t know what was causing their fatigue.

Small Shift, Big Impact

Rather than demanding they “quit caffeine,” we coach toward experiments, not ultimatums:

• “Would you be willing to try a caffeine cutoff at 12 or 2 p.m. just for a week?”

• "How would your body feel if it could completely relax?"

This opens the door to empowered change, instead of shame or resistance.

🧠 Coach Tip for the Dental Team:

When your patient mentions fatigue, bruxism, or high stress, try this script:

Give them permission to test, not to be perfect.

Something Sweet

🍭Stuff so sweet you might get a cavity…

CE Opportunities / Events

Miscellaneous….

Every patient you help breathe better, sleep deeper, and feel stronger is a life changed for the better. Keep asking the deeper questions. Keep connecting the dots. You're not just treating teeth, you’re transforming health.

Thanks for being part of the movement.

Until next week,
Dr. Michael & Cathy Bennett
More Than Teeth | A Mission for Generational Health