If you’ve ever woken up with a sore jaw, a headache, feeling exhausted, you might be
unknowingly grinding your teeth at night. Teeth grinding, or bruxism, is more common than you think—affecting up to 10% (1) of adults worldwide; and it can seriously impact your sleep, oral health, and wellbeing… as you’re about to find out.
First… Why Does Teeth Grinding Happen?
While genetics plays a part, a more significant factor for bruxism is stress. Studies show that people who experience high stress levels are more than twice as likely to grind their teeth at night. (3)
Sleep Apnea is another huge driver - the body instinctively clenches the jaw to open the airway, which grinds away at our teeth.
Lastly, and one of the most controllable, is alcohol consumption - it can cause the muscles in the jaw to contract involuntarily, and increase stress levels too.
How Bruxism Ruins Your Sleep
Though it’s renowned as a dental issue, bruxism is equally a sleep disorder. Like snoring, it causes micro-arousals that disrupt your ability to enter and maintain deep slow-wave sleep.
In the short term, this can lead to daytime sleepiness, brain fog, and moodiness —common effects of sleep disturbances. Over time, it may contribute to insomnia, with research suggesting that nearly 50% of people with bruxism also have a sleep disorder.(3)
How bruxism impacts wellbeing
First, the consequences of sleeplessness are real - and they run across all scopes of wellbeing.
Physically, lack of deep sleep impairs the production of human growth hormone, which typically catalyses muscle recovery and metabolism. It can also exacerbate stress and anxiety - stress hormone cortisol can increase 37% after 1 night of insufficient sleep. Immunity suffers too - sleeping 6 rather than 7 nights over 5 nights increases our risk for catching a cold by 4 times.
Last, but definitely not least, testosterone - this can drop up to 15% with lack of sleep.
However, independent of sleep, as you’ve probably noticed, bruxism contributes to jaw
discomfort and tension headaches - it can strain your temporomandibular joint. Similarly, it wears down our teeth, leading to chips, cracks and tooth sensitivity.
How to stop teeth grinding
With teeth grinding causing an issue to your sleep and wellbeing each night, you need both immediate and long term solutions.
The first I can recommend, that is effective on night 1, is Happy Sleep’s mouthguard - developed by a leading sleep medicine specialist, it’s clinically backed and recommended by dentists across the country. Unlike others, the device minimally repositions your jaw, which allows you to grind less and sleep more, which makes it ideal for those who snore too. It’s easy to use, lightweight and low cost - especially when compared against dental work.
Second, increasing stress management techniques is extremely beneficial too, given the links between the two. And, with the rise of biohacking, and related research, we now know that this doesn’t just mean exercise, reducing alcohol use and practicing meditation.
While these help, so too does ice bathing, infrared saunas and red light therapy - so you can take your pick and manage stress in the way that suits you. While it doesn’t matter what you do, the important thing here is to do something.
1. Sleep Foundation: Bruxism & Sleep
2. NIH Study on Stress & Bruxism
3. Bruxism & Sleep Disorders – Study
Written by Olivia Arezzolo - Australia’s Leading Sleep Expert, Speaker, and Author in 10 countries.
Featured on The Morning Show, The Today Show, Sunrise, Studio 10, Nine News, Sky News, Forbes, Daily Mail, Yahoo, MSN, News.com.au, Body and Soul, Women’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Business Insider and New York Post; Olivia has also been a spokesperson for IKEA, Sealy Posturepedic, Tempurpedic, Audible, Samsung, Toyota, AIA Insurance, Medibank, The Westin, Marriott Bonvoy, The Body Shop, T2, Fitbit, and more. Her international bestselling book, Bear, Lion, Wolf is published in 10 countries; and her most recent venture - a Wellness Weekend with The Westin, saw her recommended throughout Asia and USA.
