Biting the inside of my mouth?

May 2, 2024 8:40 PM

YANMD. I am biting the inside of my mouth, on the inside of my cheeks, on both sides. I am also biting my tongue. I do this at night while I am sleeping. Why am I doing this and how do I stop?

I just came from my dentist’s office. He confirmed that I have apparently been chomping down on the inside of my cheeks and my tongue. I must be doing this at night when I am sleeping. I have been doing this for the past month or so. My sleep has been poor and getting worse. I wake up 5-6 times at night, very thirsty.

I was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy 40 years ago. I used to take Tegretol for it but was taken off of the medication about 10 years ago by a neurologist who said I no longer fit the diagnosis.

I have severe migraines that I take daily medication for.

My mouth really, really hurts! My dentist recommended a mouth guard, which I am going to pick up tomorrow.

Any ideas are welcome!!

posted by furtheryet to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

Chewing motions stimulate the release of saliva. If you can fix the thirst issue, that might fix the chewing issue as well.
posted by flabdablet at 8:58 PM on May 2, 2024 [3 favorites]

very thirsty

This is something to check out thoroughly with your doctor if it's new. That's a lot of times and an odd thing to be happening.
posted by lookoutbelow at 8:59 PM on May 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

Also, if your mouth is getting dry in the night that might be because you're breathing through it more. Could be worth your while getting a sleep study done to see if apnea is a factor.
posted by flabdablet at 9:00 PM on May 2, 2024 [3 favorites]

Also check for allergens in your sleeping space. Dusty ductwork? Mould? Scents in laundry products? Increased volatile organic compound load from air "fresheners" or scented candles? Any of these could cause overnight swelling in nasal passages that forces you to mouth breathe more.

Running a HEPA filter in your bedroom would reduce particulate allergens but not VOCs like scents.
posted by flabdablet at 9:03 PM on May 2, 2024

Talk this through with a dentist if possible, because it might be normal thing to some extent but then it turns into something that is not. A mouthguard might be needed to fix the situation, but only a professional can tell you that for sure. Also check you habits, are you a mouth breather, is it connected to outer factors (like stress etc)?
posted by torturedpoet at 9:08 PM on May 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

Is the migraine med new? Dry mouth is a common side effect for some of those.
posted by flabdablet at 9:13 PM on May 2, 2024 [1 favorite]

Another common source of indoor particulate pollution is using tap water instead of distilled water in ultrasonic humidifiers. This is especially ironic if the humidifier has been deployed in an attempt to ease breathing overnight.

Humidifiers that create water vapour by warming water rather than physically smashing it into tiny droplets with ultrasound are less susceptible to this, because most of the minerals dissolved in the water will end up as crusty deposits on the walls of the heating container rather than nanoparticles in the air. Anything that makes visible steam or fog, though, will do more harm than good unless the user gets religious about only ever loading it with distilled water and cleaning it regularly to discourage microbes from breeding up in it.
posted by flabdablet at 9:26 PM on May 2, 2024

It sounds like your dentist is getting you a mouthguard to address the symptom of chomping, but I agree that looking into the cause is important. With your history, it couldn't hurt to rule out your epilepsy here. Extreme thirst can also be a symptom of diabetes, and a dry mouth could be related to apnea. All of these are things you'd want to consult with a doc about. Do you still have a relationship with a neurologist? That might be a good place to start!
posted by girlstyle at 10:07 PM on May 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

This bites. (Sorry)

I bite my cheeks on occasion, bite my tongue when napping to the point of pain, have sleep apnea, and often wake up from dry mouth.

I don't have a great solution. I do wear a cpap and that helps the biting. I also rinse with a solution from OralB for dry mouth. I can't say it eliminates the problem, but it is better than nothing as they say.

I am not a doctor, but I would look into a relationship to the epilepsy and to the migraines and the associated medications.

I also think there are things I would ignore or live with bc I thought they were a passing issue, but not these issues you are having.

Good luck.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:47 PM on May 2, 2024 [1 favorite]

For me, the biting gets worse when I clench my jaw a lot (sleeping or waking), which in turn gets worse when I don't supplement magnesium regularly. I started taking magnesium supplements regularly some years ago to try to address muscle cramps and (non-severe) migraines, and noticed after I started that (as well as fixing the cramps and migraines) it was also having a big positive impact on how much I clench and chomp my jaw at night.
posted by terretu at 3:33 AM on May 3, 2024 [2 favorites]

Given your history, please talk to your neurologist. This would strongly suggest the need for a sleep study and/or timed EEG. If your migraines are managed by a neurologist ask them for advice, as you may need subspecialty investigation. If not, please talk to your PCP with your history app symptoms and ask for neuro referral.
(Usual disclaimer, I'm not your neurology provider etc.)
posted by cobaltnine at 3:33 AM on May 3, 2024 [2 favorites]

I saw this title and immediately thought epilepsy, because one of the biggest side-effects of my siezures has always been biting the insides of my cheeks and my tongue. I'm also prone to doing it during absence seizures occasionally, and I have a lot more episodes during the night.

So I would seek a second opinion re: epilepsy. Especially since the migraines can also be an epilepsy thing.
posted by HypotheticalWoman at 5:58 AM on May 3, 2024 [2 favorites]

Temporary relief: over the counter mouth guard. They're really for teeth grinding when sleeping, but I think this could help. I had one years ago that was fitted by a professional and I think it cost ~$500. You can buy ones you bite into and make at home at any drug store for maybe $30... my wife recently did this when she had some kind of mouth irritation and she didn't hate it. Takes a while to get used to. Worth a try.

Edit: please delete. Missed the part in OP's question about the mouth guard.
posted by SoberHighland at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2024

One thing to consider is to try these, which will help stimulate saliva production but also, because they sit between your teeth and sides of your mouth, may make it harder to chew your cheeks.
posted by papergirl at 6:39 AM on May 3, 2024 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you, everyone. I'm going to see my PCP to see what she thinks about a referral for a sleep study; my neurologist to see what she thinks about the epilepsy work up angle; and will definitely check into the saliva stimulating lozenges. I'll also give magnesium a shot. This is why I love askmefi. Thanks!
posted by furtheryet at 7:18 AM on May 3, 2024 [5 favorites]

The mouthguard will fix this. I grind my teeth when I sleep (which is not uncommon - bruxism) and one side effect of this is bites or injuries to my cheek. A mouthguard prevents you from closing the teeth all the way, which stops bites or injuries. It sounds like there may be other things going on, but, in terms of the biting issue, the mouthguard is the solution.
posted by Mid at 7:18 AM on May 3, 2024 [2 favorites]

Not related to any of your ongoing issues other than chewing/biting -- but have you tried eating a little something before bed, generally something like protein? I have chewed in my sleep my whole life and I only found out that you can bruise a tongue when I bit mine so hard that it appeared to bleed. I had a tongue piercing years ago and it didn't bruise so what the hell did I do in my sleep? UGH. Anyway, when I was married, my now-ex-husband used to tell me to stop chewing when it woke or disturbed him and once, notably, I responded, in my sleep, "I have to chew, I have food in my mouth."

It turns out that a bunch of the problem centered around going to bed hungry or slightly hungry, which made me dream of eating and that triggered the chewing. It's unlikely that this will cure your problem, but maybe give it a try? If you're not lactose intolerant, I found that about a quarter cup of cottage cheese would do the trick.
posted by janey47 at 10:35 AM on May 3, 2024 [1 favorite]