Lori (Phoenix, Az) on 09/23/2021:

I have been clenching my jaw when I sleep for years and I have been told by most health providers that it’s stress-related. I would always disagree in my mind - “yes I’m experiencing stress but this isn’t caused by stress”. I’ve been searching for an answer for years. I finally had a sleep test about 6 years ago and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. Huh well……maybe my jaw clenching was stabilizing my airway to continue breathing while I slept. That’s a good thing - right? So I got a night guard for my teeth and figured at least I was mostly breathing at night. The curiosity continued however because there was no reason to have sleep apnea. My weight is height-appropriate and I don’t have food allergies.

I finally just had my amalgams safely removed and my jaw didn’t clench starting that very first night. In the past, as I was falling asleep, sometimes I would catch my jaw snapping shut like a snapping turtle. And it was involuntary. Now I am sleeping without clenching. And I don’t think I have sleep apnea either. At least my Fitbit shows adequate O2 levels during sleep (not sure how it knows that but it says it does).

I can’t explain all of it physiologically but this is my experience for what it’s worth.