Sleep bruxism's precise causes is currently not fully understood, but it can be linked to various factors, including stress, anxiety, sleep disorders, and lifestyle habits. Certain medications and substances like caffeine and alcohol may also contribute to its development. In some cases, sleep bruxism may be related to underlying sleep disorders like sleep apnoea. Multiple factors influence the risk of sleep bruxism, making it difficult to pinpoint a single cause for teeth grinding. However, certain risk factors are associated with a higher probability of sleep bruxism:

1. High Stress Levels: Stress is a significant risk factor for sleep bruxism. Clenching teeth during stressful situations is a common reaction, which can carry over to episodes of sleep bruxism. Teeth grinding is also believed to be connected to higher levels of anxiety.

2. Genetics: Sleep bruxism has a genetic component and can run in families. As many as half of the people with sleep bruxism have a close family member who also experiences the condition.

3. Irregular Sleep Patterns: Episodes of teeth grinding appear to be connected to changing sleep patterns or microarousals from sleep. Most teeth grinding is preceded by increases in brain and cardiovascular activity. This may explain the associations found between sleep bruxism and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which causes temporary sleep interruptions from lapses in breathing.

4. Lifestyle Factors: Several lifestyle factors have been associated with sleep bruxism, including cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, caffeine intake, depression, and snoring. Further research is needed to better understand potential connections and how these factors may affect sleep bruxism.

5. Medications: Certain medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), amphetamines, and antipsychotics, may increase the risk of sleep bruxism. It's important to discuss dosage and potential side effects of any medications with your doctor.