Stress is part of the human condition, and it’s something that we’ll always have to deal with. Stress can actually be a good thing because it acts as an alarm that something is wrong, but when it becomes unmanageable or leads to other problems, it needs to be addressed. One result of stress we don’t often discuss is how it can lead to physical pain in different parts of our body, and this pain can cost us productivity.
A common pain that comes from stress is TMJ, which happens in the jaw. There are multiple causes of TMJ, but stress is a primary culprit. This jaw pain can be agonizing and interfere with your work. Today, we’re going to discuss how stress leads to TMJ, what leads to stress, and the simple exercises you can do to relax your jaw and relieve jaw pain.
What is TMJ?
TMJ is named after the Temporomandibular Joint in the jaw. This joint is one of the most complex in the entire body made up of muscles, cartilage, bone, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels. You’re probably familiar with teeth-grinding when someone is stressed, but the tightening of the jaw muscles also leads to TMJ.
Health researchers have been studying the link between TMJ and stress for years. Not only can stress lead to TMJ, but it can also make current TMJ pain worse. TMJ can happen from other causes such as over-extending the jaw, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. According to the National Institute of Health, TMJ also affects women more than men.
Stress and anxiety, specifically, cause jaw muscles to tighten, and this can lead to tension headaches at the base of the skull as well as TMJ. For many, jaw clenching happens unconsciously, so it’s a difficult habit to break while stressed..
Stress, Pain, and Productivity
If you struggle with stress, you’re not alone. The COVID pandemic threw us all for a loop, and it led to a mental health crisis in the United States. In a 2020 report from the American Psychological Association, they reported that eight in 10 adults said the pandemic was a significant source of stress. They also said that two in three adults said stress increased that first year.
Many of us have gone back to work, but that doesn’t mean the stress is gone. While it’s important to be grateful to still have a job, stress still affects all of us. Understanding how stress and pain affect people at work is important information for employees as well as management due to the loss of productivity.
One study compared two groups of people to see how pain affected productivity. This study found that although pain did not contribute significantly to missed work hours, it reduced productivity quite a bit. For lower levels of pain, people lost an average of 2.4 hours of work per week. Those with more severe pain lost upwards of 9.8 hours per week.
This means that each month, stress-induced TMJ may cost a company anywhere from 10.4 to 42.5 hours of productivity per month.
Addressing the Sources of Stress
Ideally, TMJ pain can be prevented by reducing stress in your life. While there’s quite a bit you can do that’s within your control, some may involve speaking with others like your manager or even your family.
Burnout can be a big source of stress, and this has become more common in recent years. Many people are working more hours, and we’re all much more accessible before and after work due to our smartphones. Sometimes, you can start managing your feelings of burnout with better time management. For example, if you find yourself getting behind at work because you find yourself browsing the news or social media, you can set personal restrictions to make sure you stay on task.
In other cases, you may be overwhelmed by your workload. If this happens, you may need to discuss this with your manager and work together to find solutions. Most managers want you to be as healthy as possible, and they may not even realize you feel overwhelmed. This is why a simple conversation may do the trick.
If you find your source of stress coming from working from home or other factors within your household, this requires a family conversation. Boundaries may need to be set for when you’re working, and you can also work with your significant other to see where you can compromise to reduce your stress. At the end of the day, communication is key for reducing stress.
Some other solutions you may want to consider include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Therapy
- Reading self-help books
- Scheduling “me time”
How to Relax Your Jaw
In a perfect world, you’d be able to stop stress in its tracks and never deal with TMJ pain. Unfortunately, we can’t always prevent stress and TMJ. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways you can relax your jaw to relieve some of the pain that comes from TMJ. Of course, it would also be a wise idea to consult an expert dentiste a TMR (otherwise known as a dentist at the TMR clinic, or elsewhere more relevant!) in order to get a professional opinion on the extent of your TMJ problems. They may have more extensive methods to deal with your TMJ pain, which you should use in conjunction with simple home fixes to try and remedy the issue.
Below, we have a helpful infographic that gives a wide range of simple exercises you can do to relax your jaw. The following exercises not only provide short- and long-term pain, but you can do them just about anywhere. This means you can do them at home, at your desk, or even in your car before work or during a lunch break.
Now, you know how stress can lead to TMJ and what you can do about it. These simple exercises can provide you with some pain relief, but don’t forget the importance of regularly taking care of your personal health.
Ensuring that you’re regularly focusing on your well-being will make you a better employee and a delightful coworker to be around. Best of all, as you continue to work hard and be productive, you’ll eventually establish yourself as a leader at work as well as in your industry.