I previously discussed a semi-long-term sleep issue I’ve been plagued with, and some possible contributing factors. Here’s how I cracked the code. 

As I mentioned in my last article Exhausted and Can’t Sleep, I’m generally a champion sleeper. I can fall asleep almost anywhere, and I can sleep through just about anything. Unfortunately, that all changed late this summer. 

All of a sudden, I was in this death spiral of sleeping for 2-4 hours, waking up in the middle of the night, then essentially power napping in 15-20 minute increments the rest of the night until it was time to get up. 

What Had Changed?

Not much! I had made a handful of lifestyle changes a couple months prior to my issues beginning, but nothing that really seemed like it could be causing all this chaos. In fact, these changes generally seemed to be good for sleep – eating healthier, lifting heavy, and taking supplements that have been known to help with inflammation. 

After reviewing all the changes, I felt the most obvious place to start was the supplementation. 

First Test: No More MSM

Of the two new supplements I had recently begun taking (MSM and Dihydroberberine), I decided to start by cutting out the MSM first.

I was taking this supplement for its tendonitis and joint inflammation support, but it didn’t seem to be helping with some recent elbow issues I had been struggling with. Add to its ineffectiveness a handful of anecdotal reports of insomnia from user reviews, and it seemed like the easy choice to ditch first. 

I stopped cold turkey the day I published the first article, and saw absolutely no impact in any way – no change in sleep, no change in how I felt on the whole, nothing. It felt about the same as if I had told myself “I’m not going to breathe fire today” – I’ve never breathed or even tried to breathe fire, so the impact on my day would be negligible. 

Second Test: No More Dihydroberberine

After about a week of no improvements after dropping my MSM intake, I decided to cut the Dihydroberberine as well – despite the fact it’s been shown to help insomniacs improve their sleep. 

Like the MSM, I stopped cold turkey and saw zero changes… for the first couple of days. 

Around day 3 or 4, I went to bed as normal around 10:30 PM. But this time, instead of sleeping until about 2, I woke up just after midnight feeling like I had been hit by a truck. My jaw was aching, with a radiating soreness extending past my right ear and nearly up to my eye. What the heck was this all about? I went and found my phone (since I no longer sleep with it – and NEITHER SHOULD YOU!), and started looking for answers.

Third Test: Allergy Obliteration

I read that allergies could cause a similar jaw soreness, and that was good enough for me. You see, I’ve had horrible sinus issues my entire life, which have led to bouts of unreal migraines and general sensitivity to allergens. I also started putting the pieces together: my oldest daughter had been sniffling and sneezing earlier that week, and my son kept complaining of a “scratched neck” (sore throat) every morning. Of course this was allergies! So I popped a Benadryl and went back to bed. 

Problem Solved? Not Quite.

That first night, the Benedryl did the trick. I was out like a light, and woke up around 4:30AM – which was actually a bit of a success based on the past couple of weeks. Problem (possibly) solved!

But boy, was I wrong about that. 

The next night I preemptively took a Benedryl, thinking I had cracked the code. I dozed off, then woke up a couple hours late feeling like an ice pick was jammed through my jaw into my brain. This was insane pain. 11/10 pain. The kind of pain where you envision hitting yourself in the head with a hammer to distract yourself from the pain as if you’re in a Tom & Jerry cartoon. 

Back to the medicine cabinet I went, combining acetaminophen and ibuprofen just to make it through the night. Then I got a heating pad, set it to the hottest setting, jammed it between my jaw and my pillow, and did my best to fall back asleep. 

After those first two nights, things seemed to be getting better. I assumed it was the allergies passing, as my kids were showing fewer symptoms right in line with my improvement. Then a couple nights later, that 11/10 pain came right back. 

I was laying in bed fantasizing about pulling my molars out with pliers just in case it relieved the pain, when it suddenly clicked that I should go to the dentist. I texted the office in the middle of the night, and had an 8AM appointment the next morning. 

Fourth Test: Dental Detailing

I got to the dentist, did some X-rays, and the issue became clear pretty quickly: a molar I had cracked 7 years ago had a massive chunk of amalgam that was holding the molar together. That amalgam had somewhat broken off, and was now pressing against the nerves and causing a pretty serious infection. Time for a root canal! 

I was never more relieved to hear there was a root canal in my future. The nighttime pain was so unbearable, ANY solution was welcome. Unfortunately, the infection was bad enough that I needed to go on a weeklong course of antibiotics before I could do the root canal. This was supposed to take care of all the pain within 2 days, but it really never did. It took the edge off a bit, but I was still in sleep hell the entire time. 

Final Solution

Fast forward to this past Monday, and I finally got my root canal done. While the process was unpleasant, it was so completely worth it. That night, I went to bed and slept right through the night. I’ve slept through the night every night since, and it’s been like a dream come true – my insomniatic nightmare is finally over. 

There’s a moral to every story, but I’m going to focus on the molar of this one: preemptively protect your sleep by caring for your teeth.