"Like you, I was hesitant about the night guard—mostly because I wasn't sure I'd actually sleep with something in my mouth. But after a few nights of awkwardness, it became second nature."
Totally relate to this! I remember thinking there was no way I'd ever get used to sleeping with a night guard, but now it's just part of my bedtime routine. Honestly, it's saved me from a lot of dental drama down the road.
About the stress thing—my sister had similar issues with grinding, and she swears by journaling before bed. She says just dumping all her worries onto paper helps clear her mind. Personally, I've found that cutting back on screen time an hour before bed makes a huge difference. I used to scroll endlessly through social media, and it definitely didn't help my anxiety levels.
Have you noticed if certain foods or drinks make your grinding worse? I've heard caffeine can be a sneaky culprit, but I'm not sure how true that is...
I was skeptical about the caffeine thing too, but I gotta admit, cutting back on my afternoon coffee helped me noticeably. I used to grind like crazy after stressful days at work...and it was definitely worse when I'd had extra caffeine. Also, totally second the journaling tip—it's budget-friendly and actually helps quiet my racing thoughts before bed. Glad you adjusted to the guard; took me a solid week, but now it's weird sleeping without it.
Yeah, caffeine reduction definitely makes sense—it's a stimulant, after all, and can ramp up muscle tension without us even realizing it. Another thing worth considering is screen time before bed. Blue light exposure can mess with melatonin production, making it harder to relax your jaw muscles naturally. I started using blue-light filters and dimming screens an hour before sleep, and it noticeably reduced my grinding episodes. Small tweaks like these can really add up over time...
I tried the blue-light filter thing too, but honestly, I think my jaw has a mind of its own. A few months back I ignored my dentist's warning, figuring "eh, what's the worst that can happen?" Fast forward to me waking up one morning feeling like I'd chewed through concrete. Ended up cracking a filling—lesson learned the hard way. Now I'm rocking a night guard and trying to chill on late-night Netflix binges... baby steps, right?
Yeah, ignoring teeth grinding is definitely risky business. Cracked fillings are no joke—been there myself. Did your dentist mention anything about enamel wear? Mine pointed out how grinding slowly wears down the enamel, and once that's gone, it's gone for good. I started noticing my teeth getting more sensitive to cold drinks, which was a real wake-up call. Night guards help a ton, but honestly, stress management made the biggest difference for me. Have you tried anything like meditation or breathing exercises before bed? Sounds kinda cheesy, I know, but it genuinely helped ease my jaw tension. Netflix binges are tempting though...baby steps indeed.
