Why do I bite my tongue when I fall asleep

When it comes to sleeping, everyone will think of a warm bed and sweet dreams. Actually in life, many people will experience some situations when they sleep, such as leg cramps, sudden body shaking and biting the tongue. These phenomena are really uncomfortable. Many people may find it strange to bite the tongue while sleeping. They don’t know why such a phenomenon occurs. You should pay attention when you bite your tongue while sleeping.

Swollen tongue due to physical weakness

When the body suffers from kidney and spleen deficiency, the insufficient Yang Qi cannot warm the blood vessels, causing blood stasis, which will manifest as a swollen tongue. When the tongue is large, it is easy to be squeezed or bitten by the teeth. Therefore, biting your tongue while sleeping may be caused by physical weakness leading to tongue swelling.

Tongue muscle dysfunction

When a person is sleeping, the mouth and body are in a very relaxed state. If there is a sudden stimulation, the masseter and other muscles will unconsciously contract suddenly and violently, causing the person to bite the tongue unconsciously.

Dental occlusal factors

When the teeth in the mouth are misaligned, for example, the upper dental arch is small and closer to the tongue when biting down, it is easier to bite the tongue, especially when eating. Therefore, biting your tongue while sleeping may also be caused by tooth occlusion.

Tooth movement causes

When we sleep at night, our tongue is in an unconsciously relaxed state. Some people's teeth move unconsciously, and the tongue does not know how to avoid being bitten by the teeth.

Other causes

Biting your tongue while sleeping may also be caused by improper sleeping posture, which makes it easier to bite your tongue, or by a naturally fat tongue.

How to treat tongue biting when sleeping

1. Don’t be too stressed out at work, don’t talk too much or get too excited before going to bed, etc.

2. When spleen and kidney deficiency causes tongue swelling, you can eat more red dates, wolfberries, yam, coix seeds and other foods.

3. If you often bite your tongue while sleeping due to dental deformities, it is recommended that you go to the oral department of the hospital for orthodontic surgery and maintain a correct sleeping posture when sleeping.