Mental Health Checkup, TMJ Disorder and Anxiety
Mental health often takes a backseat to more physically impairing ailments, but when it’s under distress, it’s also a key marker for several conditions, disorders, and illnesses. Anxiety specifically has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disorders, and TMJ disorder. For those struggling with anxiety, uncertain as to why they’re feeling the way they are, it may very well be a symptom of TMJ disorder.
The TMJ-Anxiety Link
How does a dysfunctional jaw joint play into anxiety? Both conditions can actually cause and exacerbate symptoms of each other.
Example #1
Anxiety, for example, can lead to TMJ disorder. Extended periods of stress and anxiety can wear on the function of the temporomandibular joint over time. When a person is stressed, they’re more likely to clench their jaw or grind their teeth. The friction and tension caused by this habit put added strain on an already vulnerable joint and can cause it to become inflamed, irritated, or dysfunctional.
Example #2
On the other hand, TMJ disorder can also contribute to General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). A dysfunctional jaw pulls support from surrounding muscle groups, nerve networks, and circulatory pathways that strain those systems. As a result, that same strain switches a person’s nervous system into a fight or flight mode (the parasympathetic nervous system) to deal with the excess tension.
Shared Symptoms
While TMJ disorder and anxiety may seem at first glance like they couldn’t be more different, they share a striking number of symptoms. The commonalities include:
- Irritability
- Inability to focus
- Restlessness and agitation
- Headaches, muscle aches, and stomach aches
- Difficulty sleeping
- Trouble concentrating
Both TMJ disorder and anxiety can be intricately intertwined making the likelihood that if someone suffers from one, they’re likely to encounter the other fairly soon.
Moving Forward
Living with chronic anxiety or TMJ disorder (but likely both) doesn’t have to be a life sentence. As we explored, treating one can often impact the other because of their cause-and-effect relationship. If you’re ready to move forward to a life not plagued by either of these conditions, consider scheduling a consultation with Dr. Buck by calling 425-361-7499.
