Why do I grind my teeth at night and what helps?
Night teeth grinding runs with stress, caffeine, alcohol, some antidepressants and sleep apnea. Many grinders only learn of it from morning jaw ache or headaches at the temples. Others learn when a dentist spots the wear.
A custom night guard from a dentist protects the teeth, cheaper boil-and-bite versions help some. Cutting evening caffeine and alcohol and unwinding stress lowers the grinding itself.
Loud grinding plus snoring or unrefreshing sleep deserves an apnea screen, since treating apnea often quiets grinding. Untreated grinding cracks teeth expensively, so this is worth acting on early.
Source: NHS, teeth grinding (bruxism)
See a doctor promptly if
- Falling asleep while driving, or any near-miss caused by sleepiness. Stop driving and seek medical advice
- Witnessed pauses in breathing, or waking choking or gasping
- Sleep apnea symptoms with blood pressure that stays high despite treatment, or with an irregular heartbeat
Try two minutes of guided breathing2 min, free, nothing to installNot a treatment for anything. It is the one thing on this site that does something in the next two minutes.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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