My dentist reported that I clench my teeth while I sleep. So, not only am I a (reformed) butt clencher, I’m a jaw clencher.
I’ve been waking up with headaches and neck tension for a while now. I bet it’s my pillow! Maybe I need a new bed as well, one of those $5,000 memory foam adjustable beds that massages you while you sleep. And a nice cashmere scarf would probably help so my neck doesn’t cramp up. I should take more magnesium or valerian root while I’m at it. Not so fast! I can’t buy my way out of this one, or pop a pill to make everything better. I have to do the work. I know I’m not alone here. Everyone wants to know what chair or bed will cure their back pain. Or, what the quick fix is to make their pain go away.
While lying in bed I noticed that my head tilted back, my chin lifted and ….my jaw clamped down! But when I drop my chin down, my jaw relaxes! Chin up=clenched TMJ. Chin down=relaxed TMJ. Try it. But how do I maintain the chin drop while I sleep if those shortened suboccipital muscles are pulling my head out of alignment? Answer: change your habits along with doing corrective exercises. My chin lifts because that’s the position I hold it in most of the day. Your muscles remember the positions their held in most frequently and adapt to those positions. Your habits become your posture.
Below is the chin up, disc crunching, jaw clenching position.
My “stuffed animal” is a pelvis.
Below, I’m sleeping with my chin neutral.
To restore balance, it’s important to remove the habits that created the problem in the first place.
My plan:
- Pay attention to where my chin is during the day…drop my chin and keep the back of the neck long when appropriate.
- Alignment Snacks A Real Pain in the Neck, Everybody Needs a Little Shoulder Bolster and Within Reach.
It’s good to remember, what is going on below the neck is also important when it comes to aligning the neck and head. Try this, sit in posterior tilt (tuck the tailbone) and see what happens to your head. Do you kind of look like a vulture?
If you are having difficulty sitting with a neutral pelvis I recommend starting with the Healthy Pelvis DVD or download.
There are many benefits to having balanced neck muscles:
- increase blood flow to the brain
- decrease neck tension and headaches
- avoid disc compression of the cervical vertebrae
- reduce the risk of stroke
- decrease the risk of choking. Side note: I’ll never forget my very first date at age 16. I choked on my hamburger at a fancy restaurant called the Sizzler. There’s nothing more embarrassing than choking during a first date in a fancy restaurant, especially when your date is the bass player in a Heavy Metal band called Steel Vengeance. I fault my earnest forward head position for the choking.
Sleeping supine with a pillow on TOP of my head is now my preferred position.
I still use a pillow for side sleeping, that’s what works best for me. I’m not convinced that our primal ancestors didn’t use something to support their head while side sleeping, or dig a hole in the ground to make space for their shoulders, but honestly, who knows. I do know that we are part of the environment and utilize it where necessary, just as an animal may dig a hole to sleep in, or a bird who builds a comfortable nest, a beaver who uses sticks to build a dam. But, I do think that Katy Bowman has some excellent points in her article, Your Pillow is an Orthotic, especially when it comes to giving your children pillows.
Love, love, love!
Another great post! The cure for unconscious jaw clenching totally works. I was so annoyed with my dentist for suggesting that I clenched and that I needed a very expensive mouth guard, that I decided work on my alignment while I slept. Rib thrusting and the resulting spinal distortions meant that I woke up with a tight jaw that made popping noises. Following the suggestions you list above resulted in a loosey, goosey jaw – without any drooling. 🙂
I used to sleep on my stomach, with my neck all twisted up like yours in the first picture. Eeeek.
As I slowly work to get my head back into the right place and eliminate my “rocks instead of trapezius muscle” syndrome, I’ve learned to sleep on my back. I have an ultimate goal of sleeping with no pillow, but right now it just isn’t sustainable. I’ve been putting a thin, squishy pillow under my head and laying flat, so at least it helps me keep my ribs from flaring while laying down… (yes, lots more RE needs to be done), but if you have any other ideas for getting better while sleeping, I’d love to hear them.
Thanks again!
I can so relate to this post. Grinding is not the issue for me; it’s years of cycling and volleyball with a long neck. I clearly remember exactly when I noticed that I was sleeping with FOTNL. The switch to Back Of The Neck Long (BOTNL) sleep has been as wonderful as you described. I like how you tied it in with the other ExRx. Gee, it’s a whole body alignment program!
Thank you for such an insightful post, and particularly the photos of the head and neck positions that mimic the habituated day time neck posture. After reading this, I became curious as to observing my neck position in bed and voila I was also a creature of the same habit. This gave me even more reason to be more attentive to my neck posture, throughout the day, especially, while driving and at the computer, times that add up in your day and you are focusing on other tasks at hand. The information you provided here really helped me make some important shifts in my head positioning, which is improving my sleeping position and my neck happiness in general. Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you for your response Laurie! I’m glad that the article was helpful. I’ve recently graduated to no pillow while sleeping on my back. I can’t believe how excited I am about this. : ) I still have tight neck muscles pulling my chin up, so I use a small blanket under my occiput until I can naturally relax into neutral.
I am constantly having to tell myself to reposition my neck. Obviously, being a massage therapist wreaks havoc on my neck and upper back. I use Corrective Exercise techniques (very similar to Restorative Exercise) to help with my own issues, as well as with my clients. I still LOVE the Sizzler!
i slept in the tmj position for flippin years growing up and I have extremely bad alignment issue along with asymmetry and face flattening, I’m going to try this out.
How long have you been doing it? noticed and real change?
I first worked on my alignment from the feet up and then it became easier to sleep with my chin down. Eventually I no longer needed or wanted a pillow.
Barbara, how did you get over butt clenching?? I still have that problem, I only notice it when I gave some sciatic pain going on. How do I stop doing that? Thanks!!
Did you read the How you get there post? https://alignmentmonkey.nurturance.net/2013/how-you-get-there-guest-post
THanks, I just read it. I wish the answer was something easy to do!