How Can Excess Stress Affect Your Oral Health?

Everyone gets stressed from time to time and that is normal. Most people use CBD products like Yours Nutrition or Front Range Organics to help them relax and calm down. And although a little stress is good for pushing one to achieve goals, when stress is cumulative it becomes harmful. It can harm one’s mental health as well as physical health. Stress may cause headaches, insomnia, and fatigue to name but a few. Did you know that stress can affect your oral health? It can and does so in various ways. Here we look at the ways in which stress affects oral health.

Unhealthy habits

As a person attempts to deal with stress, they tend to develop very unhealthy habits. Top among this is the chewing of lips or inside of cheeks. This habit can cause injuries when done with the mind lost in thought. This causes bleeding and scarring which exposes the mouth to infections which affect its health.

Another unhealthy habit that tends to come with stress is unhealthy eating. While some people do not eat at all, others eat excessively. Not eating may lead to malnutrition and this has been linked to gum disease, bad breath, and tooth decay. On the other hand, eating too much junk food leads to accumulation of harmful sugars that cause tooth decay. Some people turn to alcohol to relieve stress. Excessive use will cause the destruction of the enamel on your teeth and has been linked to cancer. When it comes to our overall health, using alcohol has no benefits in improving health. Alternatively, the use of alternative products such as cbd oil or marijuana strains (if legal) may be a better option, especially as they are said to play a part in improving health conditions and something as common as stress. More info on the benefits of cannabis-related products can be found with a quick google search.

Grinding teeth

When stressed and you cannot sleep, you may tend to grind your teeth. Some people even clench their teeth in the middle of their thoughts. The act of grinding teeth may lead to chipping and cracking of teeth. Teeth may also become extremely sensitive. You could actually lose your teeth, in the long run. Grinding teeth also affect other aspects of health such as causing headaches. For ways to prevent yourself from grinding your teeth, check out this article from Rally Health.

Canker Sores

Stress causes tension that inhibits the immune system which in turn can lead to small sores on lips and cheeks, known as Canker sores. These sores last a few days or weeks and can cause difficulties in eating and talking.

Dry mouth

Stress causes dry mouth and, since it tends to make you forget to stay hydrated, the dryness worsens. When the mouth is dry, the saliva content is decreased. Since saliva is very important for oral hygiene, the health of the mouth is affected by this. The saliva is unable to clean off food particles efficiently and this leads to accumulation of these food particles. This leads to bad breath and the development of cavities in your teeth.

Some Ways to Deal with Stress

Stress is not good for your mouth, your mind or any other part of your body. To be at your optimal health, you need to try to keep stress at bay. You should avoid stressful situations and whenever stress kicks in, take the following actions:

• Deep breathing exercises – These will help you relax and keep calm so you do not get lost in your stress.
• Meditation – This helps you think about the stressful situation without getting stressed. You can break it down and understand it wholly without getting into bad habits. Meditation will also help you appreciate the good things in your life.
• Laughing – It is said that laughter is the best medicine and you need it! Find something funny to watch and laugh your heart out. You will be feeling much better before you know it.
• Listening to music – Find music that you love and listen to it. Forget about all your stresses for a moment and just enjoy the beat. Music is food to the soul, and it works wonders on people who are stressed.