Tracking Nighttime Bruxism Clenching that causes Somatic Tinnitus
The switch tracker records whether a switch is pressed and the duration until it’s released. It can also trigger feedback like vibration or a light when pressed. It can record for 24 hrs on one charge, and it saves results to a time-stamped CSV file. I have a website where you can upload your CSV, visualize the switch activity. Simply wire any momentary switch and turn it on. My version uses a micro USB connector. It will record the exact time and duration.
My story - I went through a stressful time in my life while finishing Invisalign braces, and got jaw discomfort and an increased tinnitus volume around the same time. (I think my head and ears always had some white noise) And I also had some anxiety. After the diagnosis from ENTS and 2 dentists, I went through $3.5k in TruDenta and $3.5k in LeneRx, and 3 dental retainers, and I still clenched my teeth many times in the evening and during the day and had headaches. My bite was aligned, but I still had this bad habit. I also noticed that opening my jaw wide produced a high-pitched sound, and sometimes a random tone would occur. So it changed! Unfortunately, most people clench or grind their teeth at night. So breaking this habit during sleep is somewhat harder, since we are simply not aware that we are doing it.
This switch tracker is made with off-the-shelf parts and is not intended to be used as a medical device. If you are seeking information on treating a sleep disorder, talk to your healthcare provider. The content, learning methods, experimental information, and product you build from this page will not constitute a medical device. No claims have been made for this content to behave as a medically related disease prevention, habit correction, cure or therapy tool. The hacker/ builder or inventor (that’s you) assumes all liability.
I have not simply copied somebody else’s project. In the mission of pain reduction, I have, of course, hacked or ‘borrowed’ advice from others. I credit everyone.
Before we get started, I would like to mention that what I found is the most common cause of bruxism is probably stress. So the thought might be to stop stressing and the bruxism will disappear. The problem is that even if the trigger for bruxism (e.g. stress) is gone, the bruxism can already be a habit and very hard to break. This is especially during our sleep when we are not conscious of the fact that you are doing it. You wouldn’t believe the data of what you’re doing at night. lol. Furthermore, some people simply have stress in their lives. This might not even be a bad thing, as long as it does not cause mental or physical problems.
I could have chosen to simply measure the clamping force in a mouth guard but this did not seem a good idea to me because having a battery in my mouth, while clenching down. So there are wires sticking out from my mouth in one option, but IT’s worth it and more comfortable then you think.
My main idea of this project is to measure (the total amount and duration of clenches). The vibration feedback should trigger a Pavlov reaction, so you (chill out) and relax the jaw muscles. But, If you don’t relax I will eventually wake up for the annoying vibration feeling. The longer you use it the better the Pavlov reaction should work. I want to measure if any improvement arises, so the data is saved on a SD card for later analysis and data discovery investigation. To see any difference, of course, a baseline measurement has to be performed, which is simply not using the feedback of the sound and only saving the measured data.
Make sure you’re using a Apple Watch, Whoop, Aura Ring, FitBit or Garmin Fenix or like to monitor sleep data.
Here’s how to make the Switch Tracker
Option 1 - Purchase and a Feather 32U4 Arduino Bluefruit, a Featherwing adalogger (data logger), make or find a water resistant momentary switch, a Featherwing protoboard and x 3 resistors (x1 30 Ohm and x2 10k)
Option 2 - Purchase and a Arduino Uno and data logger Shield from Adafruit, make or find a water resistant momentary switch.
Order 3V Micro Motor (Vibration Feedback Device) , it’s basically a cell phone micro vibrator. LINK
The resistors will prevent you from drawing too much power to the vibration motor, if you did that you’ll fry the $30 Arduino Computer
Install all the proper Libraries in the Arduino IDE Progam for the Feather, SD, and Adalogger Featherwing
Solder the stacking headers and stack the Adalogger on top of the Feather or Uno.
You can a protoboard to assemble connect resistors.
Connect all resistors to ground. Send, 2 positive leads to the 2 sensors (switches) and 2 Feather pins to other wires of the sensors (switches).
Wire one positive lead to the vibration motor and one pin from the Feather or Uno. Use plenty, like 18″ of wire so the device can be set next to the bed.
Upload Arduino IDE Sketch Program Code to Uno or Feather32U4
Make a protective enclosure case. (Laser, 3d Print, or Amazon) If your precious device gets damaged during sleep, it won’t work. Sadness, trust me.
Hot-melt the 2 sensors to a night guard form the drug store or your dentist or DIY your own.
Buy a good heart rate FitBit to monitor sleep with.
Compare CSV Fitbit Sleep Data with your sensor Clench events. Learn what’s going on. Adjust your feedback as necessary,
Make sure SD card is seated in, charged well, and use gentle fabric tape to secure during the night
Before sleep, tape vibration motor to your ear. It’s small, enough I actually use it as an earbud. Common sense, here be careful if it hurts, adjusts it. You can also buy a comfy headband that goes around your ears and velcros in the back.
Do breathing and jaw stretching exercises before bed, and Ice to reduce inflammation.
Don’t drink alcohol or eat 5 hrs before bed.
Sleep (preferably on your back) and let your switch tacker do it’s job of letting you know when your clenching.
Keep a journal of what you ate, drank, exercise, stressors, etc.
Repeat. Whenever you have a good night, write it down, repeat what works. ( i.e. you worked out, no alcohol or sugar before bed, CBD oil, breathing exercises, or whatever made you sleep great)
Keep track of everything for 30 days. Stop when you see the event count slow down or diminish.
It takes a while for the Muscle Inflamation and Muscle Spasms to calm down. Read My article on that.
References
What is Bruxism?
What is a Pavlov Reaction?
https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html
DIY bruxism devices (Luc runs the Bruxism Google Group linked in Missions)
https://sleeptrack.io/2013/04/01/development-of-gr…
https://github.com/lucwastiaux/gc
Instructables
https://www.instructables.com/id/Anti-Bruxism-Device-arduino-Based/
EMG Myoware
This sensor uses EMG (electromyography) to sense the electrical activity of your muscles. It then converts that into a varying voltage that can be read on the analog input pin of any microcontroller.
https://learn.adafruit.com/getting-started-with-myoware-muscle-sensor/about-emg
Disclaimer
The content and the learning experimenting product mentioned on this page is not a medical device. No claims have been made for this content to behave as a medically related disease prevention, habit correction, cure or therapy tool. Keep small parts away from Children or Animals to prevent choking or death. Please abide by all local, national and international shipping rules for handling Lipo Lithium Rechargeable batteries, as well as State DOT, Airport security limitations. Not for human consumption.
The construction methods and medical information on this video and website are provided as an information resource only and are not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education and does not create any patient-physician, nor teacher-student relationship. I am not a physician and this information should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any healthcare decisions or make any guidance about the specific medical condition. Context Communications LLC (dba hackLAB) shall have no liability for any damages lost injury or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of that your reliance on this information on in this video or website.