Why do we grind our teeth so much?

Apparently, we do.

It is caused by stress. Everybody (me) knows that. Everbody (me) has always known that.

What is stress? According to the medical blurb it is the strain caused by response to pressure from external influences. That's actually complete cock. It is the strain caused by response to pressure from influences which are not under our control. Everybody (me) knows that too.

Influences fall into two categories, broadly speaking.

One category is the kind of influence we can do something about. Take debt, for example. We can very easily fall into debt. Debt usually occurs where we have spent more than we can afford, and usually we can come to an arrangement with someone to pay it back more slowly, on a more favourable basis, whatever. Or just tell them to stuff it if they won't be reasonable. Either way, no stress.

The second category is the kind of influence we cannot influence ourselves. Take debt, for example. Debt can occur if someone decides that you have to have something for which you have not budgeted. For instance, when we know what we earn, what we take home, what we have left. If someone decides to alter one of those factors, such as the amount we earn, we can usually decide to take another job, work harder, whatever. If someone alters the amount we have left after, say, taxation, we are pretty stuffed, unless we can spend less. We may be able to cope with that. We may not. I maintain that it all depends on the circumstances.

Perhaps the reason why we have a little less is because of something unavoidable, such as really rough weather, flooding, something like that. It will be a temporary thing, and we will understand the need. We might think that there should be a reserve for this sort of thing but, even if there isn't, we will probably understand.

Perhaps the reason we have less is because of something avoidable, such as a grave banking crisis caused by reckless behaviour, something like that. It will be a permanent thing. We will not understand, especially when Sir Someone has buggered off to the South of France and still picks up a Fat Wad while we struggle for survival. We will not have any sympathy with the predicament of the troughsnouting selfish hubristic individuals that bail them out, with our money.

And, in my particular case, the thing that really does it is the fact that it appears that there are still millions of people who will re-elect the culprits despite the people having so much access to information that they cannot possibly be ignorant of these facts. But these people are called bankers and civil servants, mainly. And there are still some who would vote for a pig if it had a red rosette pinned to its snout.

And if that wasn't enough to send me postal, I now find that there is no tangible opposition to the stress-inducing big brother nanny state which has been thrust upon me since 1997.

That is why I grind my teeth. I don't know about everyone else.

There, BBC. I've done your research for you.