Effects of Abdominal Breathing on the Occurrence of Non-Sleep Bruxism

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to clarity the effectiveness of abdominal breathing in reducing or inhibiting non-sleep bruxism.Methods: Twenty-five subjects (18 men and 7 women) were asked to perform maximal voluntary clenching 3 times, silent reading for 10 min in a relaxed state, and silent reading for 10 min after performing abdominal breathing. Simultaneously, the masseter muscle activity was measured by means of electromyography (EMG), and the blood flow at the fingertip was recorded by means of a laser flowmeter device to indicate sympathetic activity.Results: Ten subjects exhibited non-sleep bruxism; bruxism events disappeared in 8 of them, and their frequency decreased in the remaining 2 subjects during silent reading after performing the abdominal breathing. Measurements of the blood flow revealed a significant difference between the existing state before the abdominal breathing procedure compared to that after the procedure (P<0.01).Conclusion: During the 10 min of silent reading following the abdominal breathing disappearance or reduction of bruxism events was observed; thus, we suggest that the abdominal breathing can influence the occurrence of non-sleep bruxism. Moreover, after the abdominal breathing, increased blood flow at the fingertip was observed indicating a reduction in the sympathetic activity.