Follow-Up: I started grinding my teeth when I was around 23... now I m 32 and getting concerned about the habit. It´s mostly the cramping in the jaws , head, neck and shoulders which gives me a headache, which is bothering me , but also toothache and - wear, and the exhaustion in the morning... I´m sure you all know what I´m talking about. I have only just started to explore the internet on the subject, but have lots of observations from all kinds of sources...I´m a slow typer, but as soon as I find the time , and am more sure of the findings, I will write again. There is one book about the subject in german, which is interesting, but contains only stress-related healing approaches. I´m sure the habit has more complex reasons! For example, my condition deteriorated , when i went on a holiday with my new girlfriend, in the most stressfree and stressrelieving ( sex ) circumstances. My best guess is all and any kind of intense emotion brings it out in me.Also if I prepare to or build up energy to do an unpopular bit of work...I used to do drugs and found that got it going, especially stimulants. But I know people who never have done the kinds of drugs i associate the most with teethgrinding, who still grind. My brother has started to grind recently, at the age of 33! ( I was the first one to notice, looking at his front teeth.) So I can say with relief, history of drug use can´t be the only reason. Before closing, I´d like to communicate two interesting leads for you to consider. Chewing gum has been found to increase oxygen flow into the brain. I suspect the toothgrinding has a similar effect- and when we try to " think hard ",we stimulate the oxygen flow by these destructive means. In times of increased activity, our brain demands food- oxygen and / or sugar. I noticed that I tend to breathe shallow when I feel uncomfortable with people. This may be a work situation, when my mind is reeling and in need of nutrients. Undersupplied because of my breathing blockade, as a last resort, it may use the teethgrinding to get oxygen. Then my grinding/ clenching typically gets painful. So, if I notice this mechanism, I consciously tell myself to breathe deep as an immediate measure. This helps. Undersupply of oxygen may be associated with my heavy teethgrinding at night, even- I have a habit of sticking my head under the blanket in winter, when my Berlin flat gets very cold at night. Also, my nose tends to clog up, further restricting my breathing... You get the idea. The socio-psychological aspect is a curious one as well... the proverbial clenching the jaws in the face of obstacles, or in german : Clench your teeth and throw yourself into it. To this rather aggressive/ manly aspect, though, I´d like to add that amongst horses, exaggerated, " empty " licking and chewing is a gesture of obedience, asking for forgiveness. Monty Roberts, the original " horse whisperer ", interprets this as meaning : I´m peaceful, I´m a herbivore, not a predator. Hm. Ihave to go now , but hope to have helped with these observations. I want to quit this rubbish, and the fact that I have only come across dispirited sufferers´´messages so far only fuels my ambition to find a definite cure !