5 Tips For Dealing With A Partner Who Grinds Their Teeth

Dealing with a partner’s teeth grinding can be challenging, especially if it affects your sleep. Many people grind at night and don’t even realize they’re doing it. Unfortunately, the sound can wake you up and sabotage your slumber. 

Here are five tips to help if your partner’s teeth grinding keeps you up at night. 

1. Talk to Your Partner

The first step is to have a healthy conversation with your partner about the problem. Mention that the grinding affects your sleep and that you are also concerned about them. Let them know you are not mad but want to work toward a solution to fix both issues. 

Ensure you use language that doesn’t make them feel attacked and that shows you are coming from a genuine place.

2. Suggest Professional Help 

People who grind their teeth at night can wake up with tooth and jaw pain the next day. The worst part is that they don’t even mean for this to happen. Grinding teeth can have many causes like stress, anxiety or sleep disorders. Around 70% of grinding is due to stress, and the number is growing. Encourage your partner to go to the dentist or doctor to determine the root of the problem. 

The accompanying pain may become a concern they should also see a doctor for. Although teeth are strong, issues can arise. The pain can affect eating or doing other things with their jaw. Either way, seeing a professional can help solve both  problems.  

3. Use Earplugs

Consider earplugs or noise-canceling headphones to block out the sound at night. This can be a temporary solution or fix the problem altogether. Find a comfortable pair that stays in place, will not tangle, and won’t fall out during the night. 

4. Use a Noise Machine 

Wearing earplugs and headphones can sometimes be uncomfortable and prevent you from falling asleep, so white noise can mask the grinding sounds and promote a night of more relaxing sleep.. A white noise machine or fan can add other sounds to the room and fade the grinding. Instead, you can focus on the relaxing wind, ocean waves, or whatever sounds you prefer. 

5. Sleep Separately 

If worse comes to worst, you can sleep in separate areas briefly. It doesn’t have to be a long-term solution, but it may be necessary if the grinding severely impacts your sleep. This is also a great opportunity to devise other solutions with a fresh mind. You may lose  the feeling of safety and intimacy, but both of you deserve a good night’s slumber. Until you figure out a permanent solution, find an area of the home for one of you to sleep comfortably. 

Getting Past the Grinding

It is essential to approach this situation with empathy and an open mind. Your partner may be unaware of this and could feel embarrassed about the situation. Try to be patient with them and support them by finding a solution together so you can both get the peaceful night’s sleep you deserve.

Photo by Velizar Ivanov on Unsplash

3 COMMENTS

  1. The first step is to have a healthy conversation with your partner about the problem. Mention that the grinding affects your sleep and that you are also concerned about them. Let them know you are not mad but want to work toward a solution to fix both issues.

  2. We see in our practice a fair number of patients with damage to their teeth. The sad part is that it affects a number of teeth and not just one or two so replacing them can be costly as you sometimes need three or four dental implants or a whole arch. Always best to wear a guard when sleeping.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.