Grinding your teeth at night? How to help your jaw relax
You wake with an aching jaw, a dull headache or sore teeth, or your partner tells you they can hear you grinding. Clenching and grinding at night is common, and it is often linked to stress. Your dentist can protect your teeth, and there is a lot you can do to help your jaw let go at night.
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Signs you might be grinding at night
Most people do not know they grind until someone hears it or a dentist spots the wear. Common signs include:
- A sore or tight jaw, face or neck when you wake
- Headaches or earache in the morning
- Teeth that look worn, chipped or feel sensitive
- A clicking jaw, or finding it hard to open your mouth wide
- Disturbed sleep, for you or the person next to you
Some people clench rather than grind. There is no noise, but the muscles work hard all night, and you wake feeling as if you have been chewing in your sleep.
Why it happens
Grinding and clenching are often your body’s way of holding on to tension. When you go to bed stressed or anxious, the jaw muscles can stay switched on while you sleep.
Other things that can make it worse include alcohol, caffeine, smoking, some medicines, and very broken sleep. It is also linked with snoring and sleep apnoea, which is why it is worth getting checked if you snore loudly or wake gasping.
Things to try tonight
Notice your jaw now. Most people find it is tighter than they thought. Let your lips stay closed, your teeth slightly apart and your tongue rest gently behind your top teeth. That is the position to return to whenever you notice clenching in the day.
Before bed, place a warm flannel on the sides of your face for a few minutes, then gently massage the muscles in front of your ears in small circles. Keep your last hour calm and screen-free, and skip alcohol and late caffeine. In bed, breathe out slowly and let your jaw feel heavy and loose.
Habits that help over the next few weeks
Check your jaw a few times a day, for example each time you look at your phone or stop at a red light. Day clenching often carries on into the night, so catching it in the day helps.
Find a regular way to let off stress, such as a walk, exercise or time with friends. Keep regular sleep times, and if you wake with pain, avoid chewing gum and very hard or chewy food for a while.
If you clench during the day too, this guide to teeth grinding and jaw clenching has more ways to catch it early.
When to see a dentist or GP
See your dentist if you think you grind your teeth. They can check for damage and may suggest a mouth guard or splint to wear at night, which protects your teeth. See your GP if stress or anxiety is behind it, or if you snore loudly and someone has noticed you stop breathing, gasp or choke in your sleep, as this can be a sign of sleep apnoea. Also see your GP if you think a medicine could be causing it.
If your jaw never seems to switch off
If you carry the day in your jaw, you are far from alone. It is often a sign that your body is still bracing long after your mind wants to rest, and that is something that can change.
What helps is teaching your body to let go at night. With hypnosis we guide your muscles, jaw included, into a deep and easy relaxation, and help your mind put down the day before you sleep. Many people find they wake with a looser jaw and feel more rested. It works well alongside a mouth guard from your dentist.
I am Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist with 17 years in practice and post-graduate qualifications in clinical hypnotherapy. Sleep sessions are among the most listened to on my podcast, The Hypnotist, which has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
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Questions people ask
Why do I grind my teeth at night?
Grinding and clenching at night are often linked to stress and anxiety. Alcohol, caffeine, smoking, some medicines and broken sleep can make it worse. It is also linked with snoring and sleep apnoea.
How do I know if I grind my teeth in my sleep?
Common signs are a sore jaw or headache when you wake, worn or sensitive teeth, a clicking jaw, or someone hearing you grind. Your dentist can usually see signs of wear.
How can I stop clenching my jaw at night?
Practise keeping your teeth slightly apart in the day, use warmth and gentle massage before bed, keep the last hour calm, and cut back on alcohol and caffeine. A dentist can fit a mouth guard to protect your teeth.
Should I see a dentist or a GP about teeth grinding?
See your dentist first to check your teeth and ask about a mouth guard. See your GP if stress is behind it, if a medicine may be causing it, or if you snore loudly and stop breathing or gasp in your sleep.
Can hypnosis help with teeth grinding?
Hypnosis is designed to help your body relax deeply, including your jaw, and to ease the stress you carry to bed. Many people find that helpful, although results vary. Keep using any mouth guard your dentist gives you.
Could hypnosis help your sleep?
Take my free sleep hypnosis suitability test. Tell me what keeps you awake, try two quick hypnosis experiments and get an honest answer, with your next step.
Want help to let go of tension at night?
If recordings are not enough on their own, we can work on the stress behind it together. Start with a £49 consultation call over Zoom. We talk through what happens at night and whether hypnotherapy is right for you, and the fee comes off your first session. If poor sleep has lasted 3 months or more, please see your GP too.
Further reading: NHS: Teeth grinding · NHS: Sleep apnoea · NHS: Insomnia