After biting your tongue, all you’ll feel like saying is “ouch.” Although it can sometimes impact adults, this prevalent issue primarily affects youngsters. Although there are no data on the number of people who bite their tongues, experts claim that everyone does it occasionally. You frequently bite your tongue when eating by accident.
However, tongue biting happens frequently when people sleep. A disease that causes facial muscular spasms or seizures may cause tongue biting during night.
People who bite their tongues run the risk of getting infections, ulcers, and a disease on their tongues known as “scalping.” Therefore, if you notice that you are biting your tongue, it’s crucial to get help.
Sleeping with your tongue bitten causes
You might bite your tongue while you sleep for a number of reasons. A person is almost certainly conscious if they bite their tongue during the day. But at night, you’re more likely to unintentionally bite your tongue. The majority of the time, tongue biting as you sleep is caused by an underlying medical condition.
Bruxism
Teeth grinding and clenching, often known as bruxism, is a frequent movement issue that can interfere with your sleep. It typically damages the teeth and jaws, resulting in irritation, agony, and harm. However, bruxism can also lead to someone biting their tongue or cheeks.
Although doctors are unsure of the precise aetiology of bruxism, they believe it may have something to do with dreaming or even being aroused when sleeping.
Facial muscle contractions
Spasms in the muscles of the face and jaw might make people bite their tongues at night. Children are most frequently affected by this illness, which frequently results in the chin shaking violently while they sleep.
These spasms make it difficult for sufferers to regulate their facial and jaw muscles while they are asleep, and they frequently bite their tongues. Also known as “faciomandibular myoclonus,” this disorder.
Using illicit drugs
MDMA sometimes referred to as “molly” and “ecstasy,” is an illegal substance that induces a high level of euphoria. Additionally, it seems to contribute to bruxism, which can seriously harm the tongue, cheeks, and teeth. While specialists are unsure of what specifically causes bruxism in MDMA users, some believe the drug may make people more inclined to bite or chew.
According to studies done on rats, MDMA use may result in a decreased capacity to maintain the jaws open.
Lyme illness
The sickness known as Lyme disease is poorly understood. But it seems to interfere with the body’s reflexes and central nervous system. You might unintentionally bite your mouth or cheeks as a result of this. Additional indications of Lyme illness include:
Unusual sensitivity to cold and heat
Fatigue
Choppy speaking
Constant diarrhoea
Changes in vision
Tingling and discomfort all throughout the body
Nighttime convulsions
Having seizures at night is a frequent reason for tongue biting. During a seizure, people with epilepsy lose control of their bodies. They might unintentionally bite their tongue in response to this. The sides and tip of the tongue are frequently the targets of bites. Epilepsy affects about 50 million people globally.
Disorder of rhythmic movement
The onset of a Rhythmic Movement Disorder occurs while a person is sleepy or groggy. It makes someone continually repeat their physical movements. This illness primarily affects youngsters. They might start humming, rolling, or doing other body actions like head banging and rocking. These actions could be quick and could result in tongue biting.
Sleep apnea
Although tongue biting is common in many sleep apnea patients, sleep apnea does not cause it. This is due to the fact that individuals with sleep apnea frequently have very big tongues or excessively relaxed mouth muscles. Tongue biting can result from relaxed muscles and a big tongue. Additional indications of sleep apnea include:
Snoring aloud
Gasping for breath when sleeping
Early-morning pain
Prolonged daytime drowsiness
Symptoms of biting tongue during sleeping
It’s not always simple to tell if you’ve been sleeping with your tongue bit. However, there are some symptoms that can help you recognize nightly tongue biting. These consist of:
A bleeding tongue
The tongue that is swollen or red
Pain
Lacerations or stains on the tongue
A tongue ulcer
Tongue’s scalloped, rough edges
Treatment for tongue-biting
The underlying issue must be treated in order to treat tongue biting.
A mouth guard may be helpful for people with sleep bruxism or sleep apnea at night. Which is best for your condition? Discuss this with a dentist or doctor. As an additional form of treatment,
Slimming down
Giving up smoking (this can be difficult, but a doctor can help find a quit smoking plan right for you)
CPAP device
Surgery
Stopping the usage of the illicit drug usually cures the condition if you bite your tongue while you sleep. Consult a doctor if you need assistance quitting the medicines or if you continue to have health issues after stopping. Anti-seizure medicine works well for treating epileptic night seizures. Anti-seizure medicine may also help those who have nighttime facial and jaw muscular spasms, according to studies.
The majority of kids recover from rhythmic movement disorders. However, you should consult a pediatrician if your child has hurt themselves while they were asleep. People with Lyme disease should follow their doctor’s recommended course of therapy. Typically, a combination of supportive therapy that eases symptoms and antibiotics is used.
Injury to the tongue typically recovers rapidly and without the need for treatment. However, you should get medical help if you observe an ulcer, redness, profuse bleeding, pus, or lacerations.
Prevention of teeth-biting when sleeping
If you’ve ever bitten your tongue while you slept, there are certain things you can do to stop it from happening again.
sleep research
As was already indicated, treating any underlying issues that are the root of the issue is necessary to treat tongue biting. One option to discover the cause of your issue is to ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist who can do a sleep study. This entails staying at a sleep institution for one to two nights. There, a sleep specialist will use electrodes and monitors to record some of your bodily activities.
Your doctor might be able to identify the cause of your tongue-biting by listening to the recordings of your brainwave activity, eye movement, muscular tone, heart rhythm, and breathing rate. They can then suggest a course of treatment that is suitable for you.
Mouthguard
Wearing a mouthguard can help many tongue-biters avoid further injuries. Since every person has a unique mouth, see a dentist or physician about the ideal mouthguard for you. You might choose to purchase a mouthguard that is specially made to suit your teeth. Alternatively, you could decide to get a less-priced, non-customized version.
Reduced tension
Stress is a significant factor in nighttime bruxism that results in tongue biting. You should concentrate on lowering your daytime stress in order to lower your chance of tongue biting. If you notice that you are not as peaceful as you would want to be, you might want to try some relaxation exercises like yoga, deep breathing, or meditation.
Avoid using illicit substances.
Steer clear of illegal substances like MDMA, which can cause bruxism. You are more likely to experience the adverse side effects of MDMA use more frequently and at larger doses you consume it.
Medications
If you take anti-seizure medication, taking it as directed can help you avoid seizures and tongue-biting. While taking medicine, if you continue to experience seizures or tongue biting, talk to your doctor about modifying your dose.
As a result,
Everybody occasionally chews their tongue. But folks who habitually bite their tongues while they sleep frequently have underlying medical issues that need to be treated to lessen symptoms. Addressing any underlying disorders, such as sleep apnea and epilepsy, is part of treating tongue biting.
Participating in a sleep study can be helpful if you’re unsure of what’s causing your tongue biting. Ask your doctor how to obtain one and how it might improve your sleep.