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FYI there may be an association between bruxism and sleep apnea: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea/link-between-sleep-apnea-and-teeth-grinding https:/

FYI there may be an association between bruxism and sleep apnea: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea/link-between-sleep-apnea-and-teeth-grinding https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea/link-between-sle... I have both. I wear a very tough nightguard whenever I sleep. I tried a few 'comfort' guards but just ground through them. Finally my dentist got me a very hard plastic guard and it has lasted over 5 years. I'm naturally tense and I don't think I'll fix my bruxism until I can stop worrying about how I'm going to afford alimony and my retirement. Modern problems I guess.

markdown 6y ago
Is there medication (maybe a mild sedative) you can take that prevents bruxism for a night?
- 01100011 6y ago
  I've heard people recommend magnesium but I don't think it will help unless you're deficient, and even then the effect will be small.
  - Loughla 6y ago
    Not sure about that, but magnesium and ashwaganda were recommended to me for insomnia by a friend. They didn't do anything for me for my teeth grinding. Not sure about the insomnia, as I still had problems falling asleep, but - They did give me unbelievably vivid, amazing, lucid dreams. I was in full control of my dreams, and aware of that fact that I was dreaming. I don't know if my sleep quality was better, or I was just happier that I had a fantastically creative output for my brain, but I really did feel better for the two months I took that mix.
Hydraulix989 6y ago
I was coming in to post this. There is new evidence that bruxism is your body just trying to keep its airway open when you are asleep. If you grind your teeth at night and have excessive daytime sleepiness even after getting 8+ hours of sleep, then you should get a sleep study done to check for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a very serious medical condition that increases blood pressure, damages your brain, wrecks havoc on your mental health, and increases risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc.
chubot 6y ago
Absolutely, I learned about this from my dentist and I started to see it everywhere. Seems like half the people I know have one or both problems. In a lot of cases it's a chronic thing that unfolds over 10 or 20 years, somewhat below the threshold of doctor's visits. But it can absolutely cause your life to be way harder than it needs to be. Also, doctors don't talk to dentists. That is a big problem. See the 2018 book "Jaws" and 2020 book "Breath" for more info. Here are three links to previous HN stories here, including the book recommendations: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24247066 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24247066

markdown 6y ago

Is there medication (maybe a mild sedative) you can take that prevents bruxism for a night?

01100011 6y ago
I've heard people recommend magnesium but I don't think it will help unless you're deficient, and even then the effect will be small.
- Loughla 6y ago
  Not sure about that, but magnesium and ashwaganda were recommended to me for insomnia by a friend. They didn't do anything for me for my teeth grinding. Not sure about the insomnia, as I still had problems falling asleep, but - They did give me unbelievably vivid, amazing, lucid dreams. I was in full control of my dreams, and aware of that fact that I was dreaming. I don't know if my sleep quality was better, or I was just happier that I had a fantastically creative output for my brain, but I really did feel better for the two months I took that mix.

Hydraulix989 6y ago

I was coming in to post this. There is new evidence that bruxism is your body just trying to keep its airway open when you are asleep. If you grind your teeth at night and have excessive daytime sleepiness even after getting 8+ hours of sleep, then you should get a sleep study done to check for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a very serious medical condition that increases blood pressure, damages your brain, wrecks havoc on your mental health, and increases risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc.

chubot 6y ago

Absolutely, I learned about this from my dentist and I started to see it everywhere. Seems like half the people I know have one or both problems. In a lot of cases it's a chronic thing that unfolds over 10 or 20 years, somewhat below the threshold of doctor's visits. But it can absolutely cause your life to be way harder than it needs to be. Also, doctors don't talk to dentists. That is a big problem. See the 2018 book "Jaws" and 2020 book "Breath" for more info. Here are three links to previous HN stories here, including the book recommendations: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24247066 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24247066