Jaw clenching is often the results of stress, trauma, anger, or other feelings that cause nervous system dysregulation, says Duch. And while one of the noticeable ways this dysregulation manifests is jaw clenching, it often results in gripping of other body parts as well. One of essentially the most visited places? your pelvic floor.
How are the jaw and pelvic floor connected?
“We have this real connection that develops after we are an embryo,” says Spirit.
Around day 15 of our development, a tube forms with two cavities: one becomes our mouth, and the opposite becomes the openings to our digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts, he says.
In addition to this deep-seated connection formed before we were born, there may be also a fascial line that runs from the jaw all the way down to the pelvis. These fascial lines are stretches of connective tissue that connect various muscles throughout the body.
How can I tell if I’m tightening my pelvic floor?
It’s easy to inform if you happen to’re clenching your jaw – you will likely get up with a sore, stiff jaw and you possibly can easily get a headache. (And if for some reason no notice it, your dentist will certainly notice it.) However, it might probably be harder to discover when you find yourself gripping the pelvic floor. One of the telltale signs that somebody’s pelvic floor is just too tight is when they fight to do a Kegel and feel nothing, says Duch.
“They don’t actually feel their muscles contract because they’re already contracted,” she explains.
Leaking urine may indicate pelvic floor overactivity. Although these symptoms are sometimes confused with weak pelvic floor, the Spirit says that in some cases it’s since the muscles are over-engaged. For example, to stop urine after we jump, sneeze, laugh or cough, our muscles must have the option to contract. But if we’re tightening our pelvic floor muscles on a regular basis, they can not effectively contract when we’d like them.
This means jaw tighteners should want to relieve Kegels, Duch says. “Many people think they must be doing a great deal of Kegel contractions, when in reality so many are walking around with an overactive pelvic floor,” she says. If you clench your jaw, the Spirit recommends specializing in your respiratory to assist develop and chill out your pelvic floor muscles.
Try these exercises to loosen *each* the jaw and the pelvic floor
The excellent news is that we will use this connection between our jaw and pelvic floor to our advantage. The following exercise will aid you release tension in each jaws and pelvic floor. To be certain that it’s super effective, concentrate on taking big, slow breaths. Diaphragmatic respiratory puts pressure on the pelvic floor, forcing these muscles to chill out.
Puffy cheeks
- Gently purse your lips and blow your cheeks.
- Keeping your gaze straight ahead, slowly turn your head to at least one side, then return to the middle. Repeat on the opposite side, on a regular basis looking straight ahead. Inhale and exhale through your nose, keeping your cheeks hyped up on a regular basis.
- Repeat three to 5 times, and chill out your cheeks after the last breath.
- Keep your lips together and place your tongue between your upper and lower teeth.
- Feel your jaw lengthen and take three to 5 more breaths.
- Repeat this 3 times a day or as needed.
In addition to exercising puffy cheeks, you can too try blowing raspberries or humming for 10 seconds to release tension in your jaw, says Ghost. She suggests trying certainly one of these exercises each time you wash your hands to maintain your muscles relaxed throughout the day.
