Bruxism — also known as teeth grinding — is one of the most common problems that people face today when it comes to dental health and sleep quality. If you suffer from teeth grinding at night, you probably already know that it can cause a lot of pain; not only will it harm the strength of your teeth, but it can also lead to migraines, muscle tension, and overall poor sleep quality.
Here are just a few ways that you can reduce your teeth grinding at night:
- Limiting the caffeine you consume during the day (and especially at night) is one way to treat bruxism. Stimulants like caffeine cause tension in your muscles and even if you fall asleep, this tension can still be present.
- Finding other ways to relieve your stress is important as well. Many people find that increasing their exercise or meditating before bed relieves the stress that they’ve been feeling during the day.
- If you don’t feel stressed out at night but you’re still grinding your teeth, make sure to check if any prescription medications you’re taking would have an effect on your dental health. Bruxism can be caused by certain medications, even though it’s not always the most common side effect.
If none of this seems to do the trick, make sure to visit your dentist and ask about getting a mouth guard fitted. These oral health products are made of flexible plastic and the guard fits in between your teeth so that the teeth aren’t directly pressing down on each other. These mouth guards are incredibly effective and they’re pretty easy to get used to! Remember, there’s no reason why you should have to suffer from a treatable condition like bruxism!
