Here Is How You Can Stop Grinding Your Teeth at Night

Aug 23, 2018 by apost team

If you often wake up with headaches, a sore jaw, teeth that hurt and/or abrasions on your inner cheeks, then you may be dealing with bruxism. Bruxism is the technical term for teeth grinding, and while symptoms can occur during the day, they are most often associated with sleep and even linked to sleep apnea.

If you know you have bruxism, you should consult with a doctor, but in the meantime, here are seven ways to limit that wear and tear.

Clinical studies have proven a link between bruxism and diet. A poor diet won’t necessarily cause teeth grinding, but it can exacerbate bruxism symptoms. Caffeine is a stimulant that can cause your jaw to be more active than it would otherwise be—particularly when you don’t have conscious control over it. Alcohol, on the other hand, tends to make your rest shallower and therefore extends the periods in which teeth grinding is most likely to occur. Limit consumption overall but particularly in the leadup to your bedtime.

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It’s easy to advise someone not to get stressed but practically impossible for them to do. Stress is often unavoidable, and there’s an undeniable link between anxiety and teeth grinding. What you can do, however, is manage that stress so that the impact isn’t as great. Regular cardio is an amazing stress-buster. A proper diet helps as well. Some people enjoy meditation, yoga and other spiritual techniques. If you feel overwhelmed, consider counseling that can help not only with stress-relieving methods but stress avoidance through better time management and the like.

Chewing on objects that are not food is a poor habit that many of us develop during childhood and carry into adulthood. Some of us chew our fingernails, toothpicks, eyeglass ends, pen caps and so forth. Not only is this a bad habit from a sanitary perspective, but it’s a terrible habit from the perspective of bruxism because teeth grinding can be learned and reinforced. Avoid unnecessary chewing altogether if you can, or at least work to trick your mind by swapping out those objects for healthy snacks, sugar-free gum and so on.

It’s also known that teeth grinding can be a response to dietary deficiencies and a lack of calcium and magnesium in particular. Doctors don’t recommend that you self-prescribe supplements and vitamins in general, but a simple test can determine if you are calcium and/or magnesium-deficient. Both substances are integral to the good health of your nervous system and muscle functions, so up your intake of foods rich in these minerals and augment with supplements if necessary.

As mentioned earlier, bruxism can be as much a habit as a condition. Chances are that if you’re grinding your teeth at night, then you’re clenching them during your waking hours as well. These habits can be difficult to notice until you make a concerted effort. When you’re deep in thought, you may notice that your jaw tenses and your teeth grind against one another. Consciously relax your jaw whenever you’re aware of this, and employ light jaw exercises to help relieve the tension.

Avoid going straight from an activity to going to bed. Instead, establish a bedtime ritual that relaxes you. The ideal ritual varies from one person to the next. Some enjoy herbal tea. Others like to use a personal massager. You may like to lie in bed and read a book or surf the Internet. If you use a tablet or laptop, consider activating a blue light filter because some studies have shown that blue light before bed makes sleep more restless and thus exacerbates teeth grinding.

If you are concerned that you have bruxism or know it and feel as if you’re not managing the problem well, visit a doctor. A dentist can provide a custom-made mouth guard that doesn’t just avoid the wear and tear but actually prevents the grinding motion altogether. In the meantime, you can get a ready-to-wear mouth guard online or at a local store. These guards will conform to your mouth to a certain degree and at least prevent the actual grinding but not necessarily the motion.

Teeth grinding is no fun at all. It can cause restless sleep, headaches, jaw stiffness and larger dental bills. Hopefully, you’ll find a solution through these options, and if you have your own experiences with bruxism or finding a cure, then we encourage you to join in and let the community benefit from your knowledge.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!