Grind teeth at night? Try yoga

New York, May 19 (IANS) Do you clench and grind teeth while sleeping? That could be owing to stress and yoga and meditation may help, experts say.

While many people may not realise it, teeth-grinding is not just simply annoying, it could also be causing headaches, jaw pain and wearing down of your teeth.

"Called 'nocturnal bruxism', teeth-grinding occurs as a response to the teeth not fitting quite right," said Ohio dentist Matthew Messina from the American Dental Association.

Stress is a known aggravator of bruxism.

When you are stressed, you gain energy that needs to be released somehow - and for certain people, that "somehow" comes in the form of muscle contractions.

"Everyone responds to stress in a different way - what stresses you out may stress me differently," Messina was quoted as saying by Huffington Post.

If you have an existing bite issue and you throw in some stress, the body may find clenching and grinding as a relief, he added.

Meditation, yoga and mindfulness could be your ticket to less grinding, said Messina, as these techniques help lower stress and reduce tension and muscle activity.

Also, cut out the caffeine and alcohol and avoid chewing gum, he noted.