Could Your Airway Be Causing Clenching and Neck Pain? My Personal Journey

At Mind Body Physio, we help many of our patients navigate the complicated healthcare system to get relief from their chronic pain concerns. I have my own little journey to share, and I hope it can be helpful for someone out there. 

Approximately two years ago, I started waking up exhausted every morning, no matter how early I went to bed. It felt like my sleep never quite reached the depth it needed. Around the same time, I noticed that I was clenching my jaw heavily at night. I hadn’t connected it to anything bigger; I just knew my face felt tense and my mornings felt heavy.

My dentist suggested conducting a sleep study, and so I started with an at-home sleep study, which showed periods where my oxygen levels dropped during the night. Interestingly enough, I had purchased a Garmin before the at-home test to see if it would help me figure out why I wasn’t getting restful sleep at night.

I saw the lowest saturations at night, at times dropping into the 80s, but I brushed it off, thinking “this can’t be that accurate.” I was advised to pursue further testing with a sleep medicine doctor. We discussed trying an in-lab sleep study, how it would work, and what the therapies would look like if I received a sleep apnea diagnosis. Since one of the therapies included PAP therapy, I asked how a deviated septum could be impacted, because at the time, I didn’t feel congested. However, I wondered if the way I was breathing at night might be playing a role.

The sleep medicine doctor encouraged me to visit an ENT for clarity on the integrity of my nasal passageway to see if a simple procedure could help with my airway issue. The first ENT visit was discouraging. She barely looked in my nose, confirmed the deviation, and told me that if I was clenching my jaw, I should just get a night guard. That was the end of the conversation.

I spent the next year trying to help myself. I bought an air purifier. I used nasal strips. I took daily antihistamines and nasal sprays. I eliminated alcohol, dairy, and gluten to reduce inflammation. I was doing everything I could think of to support my body, yet I still couldn’t predict how I would feel when I woke up. Sleeping 9-10 hours a night never seemed enough. 

Then the symptoms shifted.

I started waking with severe neck tension and a deep pressure across my forehead and face. It felt sinus-like. My sleep no longer felt just “unrefreshing,” it felt actively stressful to my body. Over time, the discomfort turned into regular headaches, and I eventually suffered from two migraines and decided this was enough.

I went to a second ENT, hoping for a different experience. Instead, I felt dismissed again. She didn’t examine my airway and suggested my symptoms might be related to nutrient deficiencies, despite no lab work being done. I was told to follow up with my primary care doctor and return later if the symptoms didn’t improve. Sleep was framed as a last step.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was happening while I slept. So I went ahead with an in-lab sleep study. The results showed moderate sleep apnea. I didn’t fit the usual stereotype. I’m younger, thin, and generally healthy. But the data was clear. My nervous system wasn’t getting the rest it needed at night.

I went ahead and tried PAP therapy, hoping it would be the solution. Instead, it felt like my body was fighting it. The air didn’t move easily through my nose, and wearing the mask increased my sense of effort rather than relief. It became clear that something structural was interfering with my ability to breathe comfortably.

Around that time, I attended an airway health talk by Australian ENT Dr. David McIntosh, author of “Female, Forty, Fatigued, and Forgotten”. As he spoke, something clicked.

He talked about how women often experience sleep-disordered breathing differently than men. Instead of loud snoring or obvious breathing pauses, symptoms manifest as jaw clenching, facial pain, neck tension, headaches, and chronic fatigue. He also discussed how hormonal shifts can influence airway stability and inflammation, making breathing more vulnerable during sleep, often earlier than we expect.

I finally felt deeply seen. What I had been experiencing wasn’t random or exaggerated. My body had been adapting.

After the talk, I told him that his work reflected exactly what I was going through. It was the first time I felt truly validated in this process.

Shortly after, I met with a third ENT, one who approached my symptoms with curiosity rather than dismissal. He examined my airway thoroughly and identified a deviated septum, significant turbinate inflammation, and nasal valve collapse. He explained that when airflow is restricted, the body often compensates through tension, guarding, and increased effort, especially at night when breathing should be effortless.

From a mind-body perspective, this made sense. If breathing feels unsafe, the nervous system stays alert. The jaw clenches. The neck tightens, and the body braces.

None of this was dysfunction. It was an adaptation.

This journey has taught me that symptoms like jaw pain, headaches, and chronic tension aren’t always isolated problems. Sometimes they’re signals. Our bodies are smart and respond to underlying issues that haven’t been addressed yet.

This is only the beginning of my story. Stay tuned for part 2!  I’ll explore how airway function relates to jaw mechanics, neck tension, headaches, and the nervous system. 

If this resonates with you, I hope it encourages you to listen to your body with curiosity instead of frustration. We are here to help!

Resources:

McIntosh, D.

Female, Forty, Fatigued, and Forgotten.

A clinical and patient-centered exploration of how women in midlife often experience sleep-disordered breathing through symptoms like fatigue, jaw clenching, headaches, facial pain, and unrefreshing sleep — and how these symptoms are frequently dismissed or misattributed.

Behin, F., Behin, B., & Behin, D. (2005).

Rhinogenic headache and the role of intranasal contact points. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

This peer-reviewed article describes how structural nasal issues such as septal deviation, turbinate hypertrophy, and mucosal contact points can activate trigeminal nerve pathways and cause frontal facial pain and headaches, even in the absence of sinus infection.

American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

Nasal obstruction and facial pain. Clinical Resources.

Provides clinical guidance on how nasal airflow restriction and inflammation can contribute to facial pressure, headaches, and sleep disruption, emphasizing that facial pain does not always indicate sinus disease.

Kristiansen, H. A., et al. (2012).

Morning headache in obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Demonstrates the association between sleep-disordered breathing and morning headaches, linking symptoms to oxygen desaturation, sleep fragmentation, and increased nocturnal breathing effort.