How to Sleep with TMJ

TMJ is the temporomandibular joint which acts like a sliding hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull. You have one TMJ on each side of your jaw. Unfortunately, a whole host of things can cause pain in the TMJ, which can cause stress on the jaw joint and TMJ pain at night.

Although these problems can be caused by any number of factors, including injury, repetitive motion, genetics, and arthritis, one of the most common contributors is the tendency to grind your teeth during the night (also known as bruxism).

Finding ways to sleep comfortably with TMJ pain can make a huge difference in your daily life. Try sleeping on your back to reduce jaw pressure and use a supportive pillow that keeps your neck aligned. Avoid chewy foods before bed and apply heat or cold therapy to relax tense jaw muscles.

Creating a cool, dark sleep environment can also help you rest better when dealing with TMJ discomfort. If you're grinding your teeth, talk to your dentist about getting a night guard—it's one of the most effective tools for sleeping with TMJ pain.

How Should I Sleep With TMJ?

One of the most painful TMJ problems is sleep, because that’s when you grind your teeth and because that’s when you lay with your jaw not in perfect alignment.

When you think about the best ways to sleep with TMJ, some of the most common are supporting your next and head (this may require investment into a new pillow, but the rewards can vastly outweigh the consequences); avoiding positions where you feel next and back strain (this may take some trial and error, but it can be done); determine whether you clench your jaw or grind your teeth while sleeping with TMJ pain.

Best and Worst Ways to Sleep with TMJ

There are a lot of practices that you can take to get better sleep and ease your jaw pain while sleeping. Let’s discuss the most common sleeping positions and whether or not they’re a good choice for TMJ:

• Sleep on your stomach. This is possibly the worst TMJ sleeping position for easing TMJ pain. Your spine is out of alignment, and pushing your face into your pillow puts a lot of pressure on those precious jaw joints--which will lead to gritting your teeth and clenching your jaw.
• Lay on your side. Depending on the pillow you use, sleeping on your side can put your head and neck out of alignment, leading to TMJ pain in the morning and the day.
• Consider your back. If you suffer from TMJ pain, lying on your back is by far your best option. Your neck and back stay in good alignment and no pressure is put on your jaw. Sleeping on your back can seem uncomfortable at first and feel unnatural, but as you train yourself to fall asleep in this position you will notice less jaw pain when lying down and definitely feel the results.
• This makes sleeping on your back the best option for TMJ pain.

Why Is TMJ Worse at Night?

TMJ jaw pain at night intensifies because you're more likely to grind your teeth and clench your jaw while sleeping. This nighttime clenching happens mainly as your body tries to keep your airway open during sleep.

Without conscious control, your jaw muscles tighten instinctively. The pressure from grinding and clenching strains your already sensitive TMJ, making those morning headaches and jaw soreness so common for TMJ sufferers.

Can a Night Guard Help With Jaw Pain Make TMJ Worse?

Night guards help with jaw pain, but do night guards help TMJ? They actually make TMJ jaw pain at night much better. Since TMJ is worse at night, night guards can prevent headaches and migraines caused by clenching and grinding.

A night guard is a thin, unobtrusive device that is often clear and hardly noticeable to others. It prevents contact between the upper and lower teeth.

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