Tooth Grinding While Sleeping Makes You Sore, What Causes It?

Illustration (Rudi Fargo-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - You may have heard other people grind their teeth while sleeping. Just hearing it makes it hurt, but most people who do it are certainly not aware.

This condition is called bruxism, when you grind, grind, or grind your teeth. Actually it is not dangerous, but if it occurs every day it can damage teeth and cause complications on oral health.

The real cause of bruxism is not very clear. Some of the factors that trigger it are experiencing stress, anxiety, anger, and frustration.

It could also be due to sleep problems, the use of certain drugs such as antidepressants, jaw problems, or because of unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

There are signs of bruxism so it's easy to recognize it. Among these are teeth becoming flat, cracked, or loosened.

Often grinding your teeth to disturb others, damaged tooth enamel, more sensitive teeth, tight and tired jaw muscles, as well as headaches and ears.

It turns out that people don't always experience bruxism at night while sleeping. However, there are also people who like to unconsciously grind their teeth during the day when they are awake.

People with bruxism also commonly have sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and snoring. If it is not protested by other people, or in the case of living alone, sufferers of bruxism will usually be aware of this problem if they are aware of physical problems such as tooth decay and jaw problems.

If you are diagnosed with bruxism, there are several ways you can deal with it. But in most cases, you don't need special treatment because it goes away on its own.

If you feel you need it, you can try using a mouth guard or mouth guard. You can also use a stirrup to align your teeth and straighten loose teeth. Another option is to attach crowns to improve the alignment and surface of the teeth.

You can also try meditation therapy if bruxism is caused by stress, behavioral therapy to reduce bruxism, and biofeedback therapy to control jaw muscle activity.