Why does my husband grind his teeth when he sleeps at night?

Some people grind their teeth until they fall asleep at night. Because there is no food or saliva between the teeth, the sound of teeth grinding is usually very loud and rough. So what causes teeth grinding when sleeping at night?

Incorrect sleeping posture

Grinding your teeth at night may be related to incorrect sleeping posture. People who are accustomed to sleeping on one side may experience abnormal contraction of the muscles on the compressed side, which may lead to teeth grinding during sleep at night. In addition, people who like to cover themselves with a blanket when sleeping are also prone to teeth grinding due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain tissue.

Intestinal parasites

Intestinal parasites are the most common cause of nighttime teeth grinding in children. Especially when children have ascariasis, it is more likely to cause bruxism. Because roundworms can secrete metabolites and a variety of toxins to stimulate the corresponding parts of the brain, causing the chewing center to become excited, causing the chewing muscles to continuously contract, leading to bruxism.

Digestive disorders

If you eat too much at night, a lot of food will accumulate in your intestines when you fall asleep, causing your stomach and intestines to work again at night. This increased burden on your stomach and intestines will not only lead to a decline in digestive function, but will also cause involuntary teeth grinding when you sleep at night.

Mental stress

Mental stress, emotional excitement, or even excessive fatigue can cause cerebral cortex dysfunction and lead to bruxism when sleeping at night. In addition, some central nervous system diseases such as hysteria, psychomotor epilepsy, etc. can cause bruxism.

Oral Disease

If you suffer from oral diseases, such as chronic periodontitis, poor upper and lower bite, etc., it will be difficult for your teeth to bite together, and "premature contact points" will appear between the upper and lower teeth. This causes excessive tension in the chewing muscles, leading to teeth grinding at night.

Unbalanced nutrition

Imbalanced nutrition can cause teeth grinding. Especially for children who are picky eaters and do not like to eat vegetables, such bad eating habits will lead to nutritional imbalance and lack of calcium, phosphorus, vitamins and trace elements in children, which can easily cause the facial chewing muscles to contract involuntarily at night and cause bruxism.