I think bruxism is a hard nut to crack, but you are such a can-do kind of gal, I have no doubts that you will kick this bad boy to the curb. All the natural ways to do it, including exercise, to relax you, meditation, music, I have no doubts that you have used them along the way.
Breathe deeply. You do know that stress is the major cause of it? Yeah, I know you know. I almost never get on the computer or devices before bed (bad juju all the way around) even television. These moments are all about you, girl. Leave the trash to the sidelines for a moment or three. A hot shower/bath... relax. (If only, right?)
You are on top of it, and for people who don't know what it is, it is what a dentist calls grinding your teeth at night. It is something less than 10% of the population has, but many don't know it. Have you ever addressed this with a dentist? Amazingly, sometimes a night guard can help with the headaches and I am not sure if you have had any oral deterioration with this problem?
Hypnosis is another thing that works as a behavioral approach to teeth grinding. Basically, by training your brain while you are awake, you can train it to not grind at night. I'm not sure what you have tried, or how old this is to you, but, it isn't one of those things you want hanging out with you.
And less alcohol and caffeine! (of course, taking all the fun away is my job!
I know none of this is going to help tonight, but, just know that I'm here, thinking about you, hoping that helps, even if only a little. Be well, my friend. And check out a dentist if you haven't already.
Hi Denise.
Thank you so much for your message, it is greatly appreciated, you know a lot about it. It sucks doesn't it!
It's pretty new for me, well at least to the degree that I have an injured jaw at least and it is most definitely stress induced, that is for sure.
Yes, the caffeine is a problem - it's my favourite vice 😔 I don't drink alcohol so that's not a contributing factor, but there were definitely others that I have now started tackling. I love your suggestions though and think I will need to implement more of a wind down routine for myself, just generally all round in fact.
Thanks a stack for the moral support, it means a lot. Many of us seems to struggle with sleep issues, let's hope for all of us to get better sleep tonight.
Have a lovely evening Denise 🌹
I'm so glad you didn't take it the wrong way. I have a very good friend with TMJ and it can be a lifewrecker. A wind-down will be an amazing start. I wasn't kidding about the dentist though. A mouthguard can be a game-changer.
In the meantime, massage your jaw, hot bath, and some herbal tea. Or not, but, try to really cut down on the caffeine.