Nighttime teeth grinding, also known as sleep bruxism, can have serious consequences. In the morning, you may wake up with a sore jaw, headache, and a feeling that you haven’t rested. Your teeth might get ground down, chip, or crack, requiring expensive dental work. 

So, how do you stop grinding your teeth at night when you’re not even conscious to control it? There are several strategies you can try to prevent sleep bruxism. We present them here, some of which we may be able to help with at Firouzian Dentistry in Columbus, OH.

Check Your Mental Health

There are many psychosocial causes of sleep bruxism. Many people know that excessive stress can lead to teeth grinding, but other psychological states can contribute to sleep bruxism, too. Anxiety, sadness, and depression are also commonly associated with sleep bruxism. In addition, having an aggressive, competitive attitude can lead to more teeth grinding. 

If you have these characteristics, you can try self-help techniques to counter them. However, if you don’t see an improvement that affects your bruxism, consider getting professional help.

Cut Down on Caffeine and Alcohol Near Bedtime

Consuming stimulants can lead to nervous activity like sleep bruxism. Caffeine is the most popular stimulant consumed by Americans, and some people drink it excessively. High levels of caffeine consumption have been linked to sleep bruxism. Many people don’t think of alcohol as a stimulant, but it has stimulant properties in addition to its relaxant ones. 

Don’t consume either of these substances too close to bedtime. Give your body time to eliminate them from your system before going to bed. For caffeine, this means not consuming any for at least 10 hours before bedtime—it can take your body that long to eliminate caffeine. Experts recommend not drinking alcohol for at least four hours before bedtime to avoid its negative consequences.

Quit Smoking

Nicotine is another powerful stimulant that people consume regularly. Nicotine consumption is associated with sleep bruxism. Current studies of nicotine and bruxism focused only on tobacco smokers, so we’re not sure whether these findings apply to vaping, but it’s likely. People who smoke are more likely to experience bruxism, and they’re more likely to wake up during their bruxism episodes. 

If you experience bruxism and are a smoker, it’s best to quit. There is some evidence that people who smoke more also experience more intense and more frequent bruxism, so cutting back might be helpful. However, if you want to control your bruxism, it’s best to quit.

Talk to Your Doctor about Medications

Bruxism is, unfortunately, a common side effect of many medications. Medications for depression, seizures, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have all been associated with an increased risk of bruxism. 

Sometimes, it’s possible to switch to a different medication that might not be associated with bruxism or to adjust your dosage so that you can get the positive effects with fewer side effects. Talk to your doctor before stopping or switching medications.

Get Tested for Sleep Apnea

Bruxism is often a symptom of sleep apnea, a condition in which your breathing stops frequently at night for long enough that your brain has to awaken slightly to resume breathing. This disrupts your normal sleep patterns and can make it so you don’t get rest at night, no matter how many hours you spend in bed. Sleep apnea triggers bruxism because clenching the jaw can sometimes help hold the airway open so you can keep breathing. 

A sleep test is the only way to identify sleep apnea, and most people can take this type of test in their own bed—there is no need to go to a sleep lab. If you do have sleep apnea, treatment will not only help control your bruxism but also protect you from other potentially deadly complications.

See a TMJ Dentist

Another cause of bruxism is temporomandibular joint disorders (abbreviated TMJ or TMD). In one form of this condition, your jaw muscles can’t find a comfortable resting position. They strive to get comfortable, but this clenches and grinds your teeth, causing jaw pain, headaches, and other symptoms. 

TMJ treatment can put your jaw in a comfortable position to relieve TMJ symptoms. This will alleviate your TMJ symptoms and end clenching and grinding. Even if TMJ isn’t the cause of your sleep bruxism, a TMJ dentist can issue you a night guard to protect your teeth from bruxism damage.

Relief from Bruxism and Bruxism Damage Repair in Columbus

If you’re in the Columbus area and looking for a dentist to treat bruxism, choose Dr. Mike Firouzian. He has decades of experience helping people eliminate bruxism and repairing teeth damaged by the condition. 

Please call (614) 848-5001 or use our online form today to schedule an appointment.