According to statistics, every seventh person on our planet grinds his teeth during sleep. So far, experts have not found the true cause of this phenomenon. A gnashing of teeth in a dream can be heard from the bedroom of a person who is in a stressful state, has any malocclusion, or suffers from impaired sleep depth. What is the root cause? And how dangerous can this phenomenon be, both for children and for adults?
Physiologically, the grinding of teeth in a dream occurs due to the rhythmic contraction of the masticatory muscles, which is accompanied by a low creaking sound. At the same time, changes in blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and so on are noted. Such a phenomenon as bruxism is noted quite often - in about a third of young children. Moreover, with an increase in their age, this percentage decreases significantly.
There is a popular omen that claims that gnashing of teeth in a dream is a sure sign of the presence of worms in the human body. However, no scientific justification for this opinion has yet been found. One of the working hypotheses, which is considered as an explanation of the cause of bruxism, claims that a person can creak in a dream due to some violation of the regulation of its depth. This assumption puts bruxism on a par with such phenomena as somnambulism, snoring in a dream, nocturnal enuresis and nightmares that torment a person in a dream.
Dentists put forward a completely different explanation of why you can hear the grinding of teeth in a dream. The reasons, in their opinion, lie in the presence of any problems with a bite or may be the result of an inborn violation of the structure of the jaw apparatus itself. In children under the age of one year, the cause of bruxism can be not only the pathological structure of the jaw or malocclusion, but also teething. With cutting teeth, the baby’s gums itch. And he, trying to eliminate the itch, involuntarily clenches his jaw.
Most psychologists agree that stress can be the cause of bruxism, whatever it is. Under stress, a person is internally tense, anxious, agitated even before going to bed. Therefore, gnashing of teeth in a dream can be a continuation of this stressful state at a subconscious level.
This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that short-term, about 10 seconds, periods of bruxism in a dream can occur in completely healthy adults, whose general emotional background is positive. The reason for these short bursts of masticatory muscle activity may be a return at the subconscious level to a problem that needs to be resolved.
If the grinding of teeth in a dream occurs due to stress, then you can get rid of this with the help of anti-stress measures. First of all, you need to eat regularly and limit the amount of carbohydrates and caffeine. Walking in the fresh air and warm baths with the addition of aromatic oils appropriate for the task of relaxation, as well as competent construction of a work schedule, taking into account the time necessary for rest, help to combat stress. All this together will prevent physical and neuropsychic overloads of the body.
And finally, the cause of bruxism may be a lack of calcium, magnesium and B vitamins, which increases muscle cramps at rest. In particular, this also relates to the state of the masticatory muscles during sleep. In this case, bruxism can be completely eliminated by taking the appropriate vitamin - mineral complexes.
How serious can the effects of bruxism be? In addition to the unpleasant sound coming from the bedroom, which interferes with the rest of others, this phenomenon can lead to the erasure of tooth enamel, occlusion defects, the appearance of pains in the muscles of the face, and also headaches. Therefore, if the gnashing of teeth in a dream is seen in your child or in any of the relatives living with you, do not hesitate to contact specialists to solve this problem.