How To Stop Grinding Teeth At Night

If you have a case of Bruxism, here are some tips on how to stop grinding teeth at night. Stop stressing so much–when you’re about to go to bed do some stress relieving exercises. Stress is the number one reason why people grind their teeth at night. Plan the night to be for enjoyment and to let off a little steam that builds up during your day.

Items you might need to stop grinding your teeth at night:

• A good book
• Tea or milk
• Soup or chili
• A caffeinated soda or a cup of coffee
• A warm blanket

1. One way to stop grinding your teeth at night is to do a regular workout before bed. This will ensure that your body is tired before sleep. When your body is exhausted that’s pretty much all that it can think about. Walking or jogging before bed increases the blood flow and oxygen levels, which is good for rest. Your body relaxes to repair the muscles when you’re asleep and this helps stop the grinding at night.
2. Read a book in bed if you are mulling over problems before you sleep. Reading can help your mind relax and focus on less stressful thoughts. All it takes for your brain to stop racing is some good reading material. Pick a story that doesn’t relate to your life to get a better effect, i.e. fantasy. Don’t read something like how to stop grinding your teeth at night, that’s just counterproductive!
3. Don’t drink alcohol before bed time this can actually worsen the effects of Bruxism. Alcohol is the opposite of what exercise will do for you. As a kid you watched cartoons of drunken people hiccuping that hiccuping effect tightens the jaw muscles and makes grinding worse. A hiccup is diaphragm spasms, which is quick contractions.  When the diaphragm contracts it can make other parts contract as well, like your jaw and that will cause grinding.
4. Drink something warm like tea or milk to stop teeth grinding. Warmth relaxes muscles and warm liquids can relax the muscles in your mouth.  Your body needs to generate heat from vibrations in your muscles. Anything that helps like a warm blanket is doing a favor to you. Try drinking tea or milk, but if that's not your thing then some soup or a good bowl of chili.
5. Drink less caffeine in the daytime or drink a little caffeine before bed to get your dose. If you are a heavy coffee drinker your body might be going through some withdraws as you sleep. A symptom of caffeine withdraw is teeth grinding. It’s best to cut caffeine out of your diet all together and replace it with high energy foods like fruit.

If you just can’t stop grinding your teeth at night go to the dentist. The dentist will make a mouth guard to wear for when you sleep at night. This is the sure way to stop grinding altogether, but can be costly. If none of these tips on how to stop grinding your teeth at night work for you by themselves or in combination go see a dentist.