Poll Do You Automatically Clench/Tense Up?

[ZoeValgrey]

My lower back and entire pelvic area is clenched most of the time which I know is effecting my spine, at 28 I already have sciatica. I also clench my jaw quite a bit, especially when I'm asleep. Now I wear a mouth guard and that really helps.

 

[Sivawoman]

I clench my jaws, and sort of purse my whole mouth. When I do this I get sores along the line of my teeth on my cheeks and tongue. I chew gum all the time, or I would always be doing this. The shoulders and the back are also places where I tighten up on a regular basis.

I really like these polls, as I'm seeing ago many similarities, and I'm nodding my head thinking "yeah, me too!". It's nice to know there are others going through and experiencing the same things.

 

[Changing4Best]

I sometimes tense up or jump momentarily when I hear noises, but often I don't do this. I think it depends upon the situation and my mood in general. However, I can also be very relaxed and untensed sometimes, so I guess it is an either or kind of thing for me.

 

[InHell11]

It feels like I am too tense most of the time, and it's not just a tension feeling, it actually causes a fair amount of pain. A lot of times it seems like people don't really realize that and wonder why at the age of 23 I'd get excessive aches and pains. I remember sort of having this issue as a child as well so with me its not entirely PTSD, but the difference was it wasn't exactly all the time,just if I was really over-stressed, but now whether I am stressing about something specific or not It's like I am always over stressed now.

Aside from that, I feel like my digestion process is all screwed up, sometimes I eat and it just makes me nauseous because for whatever reason my body can't seem to correctly digest the food so it just causes discomfort, its difficult trying to explain that to people not sure if that is from the tension as well but it's just as bad if not worse than the aches and pains from tense muscles all the time.

 

[Changing4Best]

lostinthere, I know that exercise can help to reduce tension, but you may also already be doing that. Then again, more exercise might help if you are. Personally, I lift weights and I walk when the weather permits. Those are my two favorite forms of exercise, and believe it or not, I also rock in my rocker/ recliner. That at least helps me to keep my blood moving, because tensed up muscles don't keep blood moving very well! And when muscles don't get enough oxygen, they hurt!

 

[just me here]

During the day I am usually pretty capable of avoiding the kind of tense muscles the OP described. I use mindfulness and other meditation techniques for a more lasting relief or just a quick deep breathing exercise and some mental imagery if rushed.

At night it's a different world, I wake up with no memory of a dream but deep in a state of full "fight or flight" tension, coiled like a spring. I don't do the hollywood wake up with full defensive reaction in play (grabbing the person that woke me and pulling a weapon or smashing them about the head). I just wake up with a tense gut and feelings of total frustration and anger, a flashback to waking up in my parents home 35 years ago I think. I also wake to the sound of tearing and ripping sheet metal, the sounds I heard in a bad accident I was in also 35 years ago. Not so much muscle tension with that one but if I lie in bed and think about what happened I usually end up ina state pof adrenaline overdose and get very tense.

 

[txtrace]

Yes. I am often sore from a clenched jaw, neck or shoulders. I've had TMJ for a very long time so I already wear a guard at night but since my crash it has been worse.

My shoulders, down into my shoulder blades, get so sore it hurts to breathe (I thought I had pneumonia one time). Hot showers or heating pads sometimes help.

 

[cherryblossom]

I've had TMJ for a very long time

What's TMJ?

 

[txtrace]

Wishful, it is Temporomandibular joint disorder. Basically it occurs when you clench your teeth/jaw a lot. It causes a lot of pain not just in the joint but in the ears and other areas of the face. It causes you not to be able to open your jaw very far and can be the cause of migraines, jaw dislocation, dizziness and several other symptoms. It can be caused by certain disorders (like arthritis or ankylosis but in me it is just caused by constant clenching of my jaw (it's been going on since childhood, symptoms arose in my college years).

 

[Zensal]

Interesting reading people's posts. I also find myself involuntarily clenching facial muscles and tongue throughout the day, and am looking out for solutions. One thing I'm trying is reducing my caffeine intake. I don't have much, but I gather some people, especially anxious types, can be very sensitive to even quite small amounts of caffeine (there are whole forums on this topic -- it is very addictive and some people struggle to give up even though they're aware it's causing various anxiety type problems in their lives).

As I said there are heaps of websites and forums about adverse effects of caffeine. For one example, a massage therapist describes the noticeable effects of caffeine on muscle tension. I can't seem to post the link here, but you'll find it if you do an Internet search for an article titled "Caffeine: Cup of Pain, Liquid Stress".

 

[.Bubbles.]

Yes, all the time.

 

[shoulderblades]

I'm always tense. My shoulders, neck and back are always very, very tense. I clench my jaw tightly, both awake and asleep. I'm very stiff because of how tense my body is and how tensely I hold myself. I never know I'm doing it unless I concentrate hard on how I'm holding my body. When I do make myself relax, it's instant relief - but I tense up again almost instantly out of habit and sheer anxiety. I ache everywhere because of how tense I am. :(

Just remembered... Other things I do unconsciously and compulsively are chewing the insides of my cheek, twisting my tongue around in my mouth (sometimes until it's aching), tap my fingers nervously on things around me, twist and 'click' my toes together repeatedly, tense and unclench my thighs together constantly. I'm always fidgeting in some way or another, almost always unconsciously.

I also have this compulsive habit of finding patterns in everything. For instance, when watching the TV, I am almost always unconsciously dividing the TV up into different shapes in my mind. I draw imaginary lines across the TV to divide it up into symmetrical shapes. It's hard to explain. I do it constantly and usually am not aware that I'm doing it until I realise I haven't been listening to what's going on and am completely lost. I don't just do it to the TV - I do it to windows, doors, door frames, cupboards, signs, clocks, the book I'm reading, basically anything around me that I have my attention on. It can send me into a trance when I do this. When I do realise I'm doing it, I'm usually sitting or standing tensely and chewing the insides of my cheeks or twisting my toes together in rhythm with my mind dividing up the object in front of me. Oh hell, I'm not good at explaining this. I hope I'm making sense, lol. I don't know why I do this. A sense of control, perhaps? Unconsciously 'dissecting' my surroundings? I don't know.