Good morning. This is More Than Teeth. The newsletter that helps dental sleep professionals get 1% better every week.

It’s always been ironic to me that our crippling caffeine addiction would aid in us helping others get better sleep…

In today’s edition:

• A Systematic Review: The Effect of Caffeine on Sleep

• Coffee and Sleep: Dr. Matthew Walker and Andrew Huberman

• Educating Your Patients: Infographic

• Playbook to Attracting New Patients

• The Future of Dental Schools

It’s time to put that coffee down and look at the caffeine research👇

Clinical Corner

🥼Use the clinical corner as your secret weapon to impress your colleagues and patients!

1/The effect of caffeine on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis

☕ A Java Jolt to Sleep Quality

It's no surprise that caffeine can impact our sleep, but how it does that has been quite a bit fuzzier. This recent meta-analysis has dug into the data to give us clear insights. The kicker? Consuming caffeine shrinks total sleep time by 45 minutes, boosts sleep onset latency by 9 minutes, and expands the wake after sleep onset by 12 minutes. This leads to a 7% dip in sleep efficiency.

🔄 Coffee-Induced Sleep Cycle Shuffle

Don't nod off yet, the sleep architecture changes too! Intake of caffeine results in a 6.1 minute rise in light sleep duration and a 1.7% hike in its relative proportion. However, it's lights out for deep sleep (N3 and N4), as their duration drops by 11.4 minutes and relative proportion by 1.4%.

⏰ Caffeine's "Bedtime" Based on Its Type

Here's where it gets really interesting! According to this research, the timing and amount of your final caffeine dose can significantly alter total sleep time. Crunching the numbers, they've outlined cut-off times for different caffeine sources:

• Black Tea (47 mg caffeine per 250 mL) - Safe to sip at any time before bed.

• Coffee (107 mg caffeine per 250 mL) - Should be downed at least 8.8 hours before hitting the hay. For a 10 p.m. bedtime, this means you'll need to finish your last cup by 1:12 p.m.

• Pre-workout Supplement (217.5 mg caffeine) - Needs to be consumed at least 13.2 hours before bedtime. In our 10 p.m. bedtime example, that's a pre-workout at 8:50 a.m.

Consume your coffee or pre-workout supplements any later, and you're on track for shorter sleep times, with the reduction growing as you inch closer to bedtime.

🔬 Conclusion

Caffeine's impact on our sleep isn't just an old wives' tale - it's backed by data. Its effect on sleep quality and quantity is clear, especially when it comes to total sleep time. It seems the timing and dosage of your caffeine fix are key, though we could use more research on outcomes other than total sleep time.

2/ Coffee and Sleep - Dr. Matthew Walker and Andrew Huberman

How Caffeine Works

Caffeine falls under psychoactive stimulants. It functions primarily by influencing dopamine, a neurochemical associated with alertness and reward, and adenosine, a chemical that accumulates in our brain while we're awake.

As we stay awake longer, the more adenosine accumulates, signaling our bodies to feel sleepier, a phenomenon referred to as 'sleep pressure.'

The Role of Adenosine

Adenosine originates from our neurons metabolizing energy. It gradually builds up in our brains the longer we're awake, creating what's known as 'sleep pressure.' Adenosine accumulates and results in us feeling increasingly tired as the day progresses.

Adenosine influences our sleepiness and wakefulness in two significant ways:

1. It gradually shuts down the wake-promoting areas of the brain.

2. It boosts the activity of sleep-promoting areas.

Caffeine vs. Adenosine

Now here's where caffeine comes into play. Caffeine can outmuscle adenosine, attach itself to the adenosine receptors, and block them. It doesn't activate or inactivate these receptors but merely blocks them, preventing adenosine from making us feel sleepy.

It's akin to someone taking your seat before you can sit down. In this case, caffeine "pulls out the chairs," preventing adenosine from communicating to the brain that you've been awake for extended hours.

The Caffeine Crash

The flip side of the 'caffeine high' is the 'caffeine crash.' Caffeine has a half-life of about 5 to 6 hours, meaning that after this time, around half of the caffeine in your system will be gone.

As caffeine gradually leaves your system, the adenosine that was blocked earlier is suddenly released back into circulation, making you feel significantly sleepier. This feeling is what we know as the 'caffeine crash.' It's a tsunami wave of adenosine hitting you all at once!

Caffeine and Sleep Quality

Here's an essential takeaway: having caffeine in your system can disrupt the depth and quality of your sleep. Even if you time your caffeine intake to 'crash' into sleep, that doesn't mean your sleep will be as restorative as it would be without caffeine in your system.

Although caffeine's half-life is 5-6 hours, its quarter-life can extend to around 10-12 hours. This fact means that consuming caffeine late in the day can still affect your sleep.

To ensure high-quality sleep, advise your patients to be mindful of their caffeine consumption, especially late in the day, and encourage them to maintain good sleep hygiene.

3/ Infographic: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

We've delved deep into a topic that's highly relevant to all our patients - Caffeine. It's no secret that our society openly embraces stimulants. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they are beneficial for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) treatment plans. Interestingly, those most hooked on stimulants may be the very individuals who need your assistance in addressing the core problem! Our prime duty is to enlighten our patients. To that end, here's a handy infographic showcasing key sleep guidelines worth sharing. Don't underestimate the power of knowledge - it's the first step to better health. Let's help our patients sleep easy and breathe easier.

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Business of Sleep

📈Better businesses = more lives saved!

🌙 The Sleep Apnea Marketing Challenge

Stepping into the world of sleep medicine, you'll find resources on billing, operations, and treatment, but there's a glaring gap: new patient acquisition. For sleep apnea, the preferred and go-to strategy is doctor referrals, but that requires constant visits, follow-ups, and gifts. We know you'd rather focus on treating patients, so why isn't there a simpler patient acquisition strategy?

🔍 The Issue: Want and Urgency

Every buying decision is driven by either want or urgency. Want applies to things like TVs or engagement rings - you want it because you understand its benefits. Urgency applies to situations like a broken air conditioner - you need it fixed to avoid discomfort.

Sleep apnea has neither of these. People don't 'want' to go to a doctor, and while other health problems might have urgency due to pain, sleep apnea's symptoms happen while you're asleep, making it easy to ignore.

That's why we at More Than Teeth have outlined a proven program that will help you reach patients at every stage of their decision-making process, establishing you as the local authority on sleep apnea. These protocols come from industry leaders and have been proven by More Than Teeth readers!

💡 The Patient Decision Stages

1️⃣ "Do I have sleep apnea?"

Overview: These individuals might have some awareness of sleep apnea from friends or spouses. What they want is information on symptoms, causes, and dangers.

Your Strategy:

• Develop SEO-focused blog posts answering basic questions like "What is Sleep Apnea?" or "Is Snoring a Sign of Sleep Apnea."

• Emphasize the demographics, symptoms, and dangers of untreated sleep apnea.

• Use a Sleep Apnea Screener to provide personally tailored information without requiring direct human interaction.

2️⃣ "I need to get tested for Sleep Apnea"

Overview: These individuals are convinced they have a potential issue and are ready to take the next step.

Your Strategy:

• Use Google Ads targeting keywords around "Sleep apnea testing" to drive new patients.

• Offer patient-friendly testing options such as at-home sleep tests.

• Ensure your intake specialists provide clear, easy-to-understand steps for testing and receiving results.

3️⃣ "I have sleep apnea and need treatment"

Overview: These are your best leads as they already know they have sleep apnea and are seeking treatment.

Your Strategy:

• Use Google Ads to target keywords like "CPAP alternatives" or "Sleep apnea treatments."

• Maintain a strong local presence, with updated maps listings, positive Google reviews, and images of your office and staff.

• Provide simple, clear steps to getting treatment, including information on pricing and insurance.

🔑 Maximizing Your Efforts

While these tactics can bring new patients in the door the #1 reason sleep apnea marketing fails is poor phone skills, so don't overlook that crucial point. With the right strategies, you can attract patients at every stage of their decision-making process and save lives in the process.

Something Sweet

🍭Stuff so sweet you might get a cavity..

I promise you didn’t have this tech in dental school…🤯

Miscellaneous

😅P.S. … I forgot something

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