Sleep bruxism is when you grind your teeth or clench your jaw while asleep. Some symptoms include waking up with jaw pain or losing teeth without knowing it. Repressed anger is anger you’ve never processed, which you carry with you. It may be anger at yourself, your parents, siblings, or the world in general. When we don’t process or feel our emotions, we suppress them, but these emotions don’t disappear. They always find ways to express themselves and get stored in the body.

During sleep, our conscious mind is not active, allowing suppressed emotions to come to the surface. The subconscious mind may use physical actions like teeth grinding or jaw clenching as a substitute for verbal or conscious expression of anger. During the day, we might express anger consciously by lashing out or shouting, but at night, repressed anger surfaces, and the mind finds a way to express itself.

The conscious mind acts as a gatekeeper, and when it’s asleep, suppressed emotions come to the surface. Teeth grinding is more like the subconscious mind’s way of providing temporary relief from repressed anger and resentment. The act of grinding or clenching mimics the physical tension experienced when angry. This unconscious habit reflects the same actions you might perform consciously when angry.

If you’ve been grinding your teeth for a long time, unprocessed anger will continue to cause this behaviour. During the day, you might suppress anger through other activities, but at night, repressed anger surfaces.

Before concluding that you need an operation for teeth grinding, ask yourself what you might be holding back. Often, it’s anger, such as anger at yourself for staying in a toxic relationship or for failing at something. Releasing this anger can make you feel lighter and more compassionate with yourself, reducing the subconscious triggers for teeth grinding.

Repressed anger is the underlying emotion that surfaces when you’re asleep and seeks expression. By releasing repressed anger, you’ll find that sleep bruxism lessens or stops because the trigger is no longer present.

I hope you find this informative. Let me know your thoughts on what drives your teeth grinding. Reflect deeply, and you may find that overcoming or reducing the intensity of this condition is possible by releasing the burdens you’re carrying from the past. Until next time, have a wonderful day.