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Why Do We Grind Our Teeth When Stressed? We Have the Answers

When you think about the physical symptoms of stress, one of the things you probably think about is teeth grinding or clenching. It’s fairly common knowledge that teeth grinding is related to stress, but have you ever wondered why that is? For those who ask, “ why do we grind our teeth when stressed?”, keep reading for the answers.

One of the main reasons why teeth grinding is related to stress has to do with the body’s fight or flight response to stressors. When we experience stress, our bodies naturally prepare for action through a variety of actions, including tensing our muscles. Even though psychological stress doesn’t require the same physical action that responding to a physical threat would, our bodies still respond in a similar way. The tension in our muscles also translates to our powerful jaw muscles, which in turn can clench or grind our teeth together.

Another way that stress and teeth grinding are related is through sleep. Studies have shown that teeth grinding actually occurs more in light sleep rather than deep sleep. Because stress can impact sleep and keep you from entering deep sleep, or decrease the amount of time you spend in deep sleep. Because of stress’ impact on sleep, there could be a greater instance of lighter sleep and therefore more opportunities for teeth grinding to occur.

If you find yourself grinding your teeth due to stress, you might want to consider a night guard to protect your teeth from grinding forces. You can get a custom made TMJ night guard online from the comfort of home at Chomperlabs.com. Whether you’re a light, moderate, or heavy grinder, Chomper Labs has a night guard material that will be perfect for you. Just order your impression kit online, take a mold of your teeth from the comfort of home, then receive a night guard that is custom made to fit your teeth exactly.

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