than ever talk about suffering from sleep problems. And we’re talking about conditions far more serious than simply staying up all night a few hours a week. Sleepiness, night terrors, chronic insomnia, and many others: some patients undergo long-term treatment to overcome their problems.
Bruxism is certainly among the sleep problems discussed. This somewhat complicated term is the source of concern for a large majority of people living in the Île-de-France region and for people of a certain age. Fortunately, treatments exist for this type of condition.
But what is bruxism?
Bruxism is often confused with snoring. And for good reason: one of the common symptoms of snoring is the noise made during sleep. But the origin of the sounds is not the same. Bruxism is caused by teeth grinding and jaw muscle contraction.
Besides the discomfort that bruxism can cause for you and those around you, be aware that this disease can have rather distressing consequences on your overall health, and especially on the health of your teeth.
Furthermore, bruxism can cause you to lose precious minutes of REM sleep. This, as you know, can negatively impact your mood. And according to research, it may be a contributing factor to sleep apnea in a significant number of cases. Hence, the importance of finding a treatment for bruxism.
In practice, bruxism manifests as follows: the lower jaw rubs against the upper jaw with a left-to-right movement. This is particularly noticeable when bruxism is excessively noisy. However, it’s important to note that this type of condition can be silent. This doesn’t mean, however, that its consequences for your health are any less significant.
Who can be a victim of it?
Certain factors increase the risk of developing bruxism. This is the case, for example, with malformations of the jaw structure and/or teeth, which cause unconscious grinding.
But generally speaking, bruxism, whether nocturnal or not, is due to intense stress and psychological vulnerability. In other words, in the current situation where stress is omnipresent, anyone can therefore suffer from bruxism.
Furthermore, long-term drug treatments can also be risk factors. The use of antidepressants and other pills is particularly controversial. And for good reason: they can cause addiction. And as with addiction to drugs and stimulants of all kinds, this can lead to bruxism.
Bruxism: What are the treatments?
Depending on the severity of your condition, bruxism treatment can be more or less difficult. For some, simply improving sleep conditions is enough to resolve this type of problem. Choosing more neutral and inviting colors in the bedroom, finding the right mattress and the best pillows, or even incorporating feng shui principles into the room: these are certainly significant investments, but they can have a real impact on your health.
While medication is not recommended, alternative medicine techniques are quite effective in treating this type of illness. These include hypnosis, balneotherapy, acupuncture, and many others. However, an open mind is necessary for the therapy to be effective. These are simple and affordable stress relievers that have proven their worth over many years.
