How to Stop Teeth Grinding When Sleeping

Night grinding is mostly driven by stress, light or broken sleep, and habit, so the fixes work on those. Keep a fixed bedtime, switch screens off an hour before sleep, and keep the room dark and cool. A warm bath, slow breathing or a short walk in the evening can lower the tension you carry into bed.

Cut back on tea, coffee and cola in the afternoon and evening, and avoid alcohol and smoking close to bedtime, since all three are linked with more grinding. Do not chew gum or pens, which train the jaw muscles to stay busy.

Heavy snoring or gasping at night can point to a sleep-breathing problem. That is a matter for your doctor, and treating it often reduces grinding.

Daytime clenching is easier to catch. Check your mouth now: the teeth should be slightly apart, the lips closed and the tongue resting gently on the roof of the mouth. Set a few reminders through the day to check again.

A warm cloth on the jaw muscles for ten minutes in the evening eases tightness. Gentle opening and closing, slowly and without forcing, can help the muscles let go.

A custom night guard does not stop the grinding, but it stops the teeth wearing each other down and often eases morning jaw soreness. Shop-bought guards are bulkier and fit less well. The trade-offs are in do I need a mouth guard for teeth grinding, and the night guard cost page shows the market ranges.

Your dentist will also check the bite and the teeth for wear or cracks. The background to the habit is in what bruxism is. Where the jaw joint is clicking, see jaw clicking.

A jaw that locks and will not open or close needs same-day care. A tooth that hurts sharply when you bite and release may be cracked and should be seen soon. Swelling of the face, fever or trouble swallowing or breathing needs same-day care, and a hospital emergency department if breathing or swallowing is affected.

For ongoing soreness, the jaw pain page sets out the causes and what to do.