Awareness Practices
for
Sleep Bruxism
Date: January, 2021
Madeline Kay Wimmer, M.S.
About Sleep Bruxism
Sleep bruxism is teeth grinding that happens when a person is sleeping. Touching (i.e., teeth contact habit), clenching and grinding teeth can all be involuntary reactions to life’s stress (situational and physical), as well as physiological conditions like asthma and sleep apnea.
Unsurprisingly, the 250 pounds per square inch of force that presses on the teeth while grinding can lead to a number of issues, including jaw and neck pain, and tooth damage (attrition). Being non-cognizant while it's happening is an additional complication to the problem. And for those suffering from deep sleep bruxism and chronic tooth contact habit, letting the jaw relax can feel like being out of control.
Night Guards
Mitigate Damage
There are a wide range of night (occlusal) guards available on the market that help mitigate tooth damage. Many over-the-counter night guards are easy to fit and use, although some do shed apart throughout the night (from grinding) and can lead to a plastic mouth taste in the morning. Even the best night guard can only mitigate symptoms from sleep bruxism. Thus, other treatments are necessary to manage sleep bruxism.
Some sources recommend treating sleep bruxism through stress reduction and coping strategies.
Facial awareness practices can bring great recognition to the reality of one’s (1) muscular tension arrangements on the face (2) tongue posture, (3) and throat and air flow pattern awareness, which begin to expand ones perception of the issue.
(1) Muscular Facial Tension
Take a moment to check your general posture (i.e., comfortable neck, head above butt), flutter lips/cheeks, relax face. Become aware of your breath.
Begin a face scan to come into full facial awareness and recognize which muscles are tense.
Continue to breathe through your nose and bring your attention to your chin. Recognize if your chin is tense and consciously imagine or allow the tension to melt and disintegrate away. "The chin is safe to relax and let go." Breathe in, relax, and gently sigh the breath out.
Bring your attention up the muscles near each eye’s tear duct and consciously allow it to relax. Relax the forehead and space between the eyebrows.
Draw your attention over to the muscles that open the jaw (masseter and temporalis). First allow tension to disintegrate at the temples.
Next, imagine that you can breathe directly into your temporal-mandibular joint (TMJ). Slowly and intentionally breathe into both sides at once, or one at a time. Know in your heart it is safe to relax the jaw (and chin). Next, to breathe into the corner of your jaw.
(2) Tongue Posture
Putting the tongue on the roof of the mouth is a common instruction for many meditations and mindfulness, or cultivation practices; however, the difference between putting the tongue tip or pressing up the middle and/or back of the tongue is dramatically different in effect and is often overlooked.
The general instruction for tongue posture based on Orthotropic doctor Dr. Mew, is to lay two thirds of the tongue flat onto the roof of the mouth and let the sides of the tongue roll out (say, “nnnnn”). The practice can be engaged by sucking the middle of the tongue onto the roof of the mouth and swallowing while the tongue is on the roof of the mouth.
Tongue posture is important for many different reasons. As practicing proper tongue posture exerts some physical strength to push up the middle and sometimes back of the tongue, it acts as a safe source to allocate stress. Instead of clenching, push the tongue up. Pressing the tongue can be used to ease oneself when exerting strength in other ways, too.
Overall, how the correct tongue placement also prevents the tongue from falling back into the throat, affects facial bone structure (especially in young developing people), and can encourage stronger swallowing.
(3) Throat and
Airflow Patterns
Send your attention to the back of the throat (pharynx) and become aware of the airflow from the nostrils, into the throat and down into the lungs. If possible, continue pulling down the diaphragm until the pressure is felt as deep as the perineum.
Continue to breathe and bring your attention back to the pharynx. Try to relax the throat, chest, and abdomen. Take note of any restrictions felt during this process. You can also move the chin and neck to become aware of how your breathing is affected by different postures.
Other Practices and Treatment Options
Other mindfulness practices that can help with bruxism include cognitive behavioral therapy, silent meditation, and hypnosis.
Tool assisted massage (gua sha and face rolling) is a common approach to relax facial muscles. Massage methods are often applied to the masseter and temporalis, and extend to other areas of the skull, neck, and upper back. Correcting other body parts to adjust ones posture will also help take pressure off the jaw. Body posture extends to sleeping posture and finding sleeping positions that support the neck and an open airway.
Note: When massaging the face, relax the jaw as best as possible and do not open the jaw too low (think mildly wide, not long) during practices that ask for the mouth to be open. A stretched and engaged jaw/masseter is not relaxed.
Summary
Sleep bruxism is a symptom of other conditions going on in the body including situational and physical stress, asthma, and sleep apnea.
The cause of the teeth grinding will help determine the best solution.
A night guard can help mitigate tooth damage until treatments are applied that address the source of the issue.
Awareness practices that relax the face, adjust tongue posture, and draw attention to flow of air throughout the body are helpful to expand one's understanding of their personal sleep bruxism condition.
Other practices that may help include massage, hypnosis, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Information on this web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dental or medical advice.