Teeth grinding in your sleep: signs, causes and what to do

The grinding you sleep through

Sleep bruxism — grinding or clenching the teeth during sleep — affects a large minority of adults, and most discover it indirectly: a partner hears it, a dentist spots flattened or chipped teeth, or the mornings keep starting with a dull temple headache and a jaw that feels like it's done a workout. Because it happens during sleep, you can't simply decide to stop; management is about protection and reducing the drivers.

The tell-tale signs

• Morning symptoms — headaches (often at the temples), jaw ache or stiffness on waking
• Tooth changes — flattened biting edges, chips, cracks, unexplained sensitivity
• Reports from a partner — audible grinding is often loud enough to wake someone else
• Scalloped tongue edges or cheek ridges — from pressing against clenched teeth

Why it happens

Sleep bruxism is linked to arousals during sleep — brief shifts toward wakefulness — and is associated with stress and anxiety, caffeine and alcohol, some medications, and importantly sleep-disordered breathing. Heavy snoring or pauses in breathing alongside grinding is a combination that warrants proper assessment, because treating the breathing problem can be the priority.

Protecting your teeth (and your mornings)

A custom-fitted night guard is the standard of care: it doesn't stop the grinding, but it takes the force, protects the enamel and restorations, and typically eases the morning muscle symptoms. Fit and material matter — a loose, bulky boil-and-bite can make things worse, and the right hardness depends on how heavily you grind. That's why we prescribe the build (Soft or clinical-grade Hard) from your consultation rather than asking you to guess.

Around the guard: reduce late caffeine and alcohol, wind down screens before bed, and address stress directly. Magnesium is popular and low-risk, though the evidence is modest — think of it as supporting cast, not the treatment.