sleep Archives - MaryAnn Reynolds, MS, LMT, BCTMB

Reasons people sought craniosacral biodynamics (spring 2022)

Here are some reasons people have come to me for Craniosacral Biodynamics sessions in the past few months. Most of the time, people had multiple issues going on. I’ve consolidated them into general categories.

You can see that the range is wide.

breathing issues
muscle tension and/or pain (neck, throat, shoulders, upper back, lower back, chest, jaw, face, hip, glute, calf)
muscle twitching
migraine, chronic headaches, chronic migraines
fatigue, chronic fatigue
restlessness
nerve energy, nerve damage
integration after trauma, recovery from multiple traumas, physical and emotional childhood trauma
re-regulation after long COVID, reset after multiple challenges during pandemic
sadness, grief
emotional upheaval, severe emotional shock after break-up, feeling unsettled from work
managing bipolar condition
empty feeling at solar plexus, chaotic feeling at solar plexus, engaging personal power instead of hiding
insomnia
better heart rate variability
stress, anxiety, wanting to feel secure and relaxed, anxiety about upcoming presentation
auto-immune issues
holding heaviness in part of body
adjusting to new nightguard
wonky atlas, cranium feels unbalanced
withdrawal from psychiatric drug while waiting for new one to kick in
reset after various health issues
addressing a layer of inertia
three past untreated concussions

You may be curious how one bodywork modality can work with so many different issues.

The simple reason is that Craniosacral Biodynamics augments your own system’s ability to heal, no matter the cause of dysfunction. Everything in your system has a pattern, and sometimes patterns become unbalanced or strained.

Practitioners trained in Craniosacral Biodynamics can help your system move these patterns toward resolution — if they are ready to change.

We all have multiple strain patterns, and there is always something ready to transform.

How does it work? During a session we both get very quiet and still. You sink into a state of deep relaxation. Some people fall asleep. Others stay awake enough to feel shifts occurring within.

I tune into your system, and with attention and support, it pauses, gathers potency (intelligent energy), and starts reorganizing the patterns that are ready to optimize.

This work continues after you leave my office.

Here’s my list for the winter of 2021-22.

My Practice

What people are saying about Biodynamics…

I’d been having problems falling asleep and staying asleep. After yesterday’s session, I slept much better! ~ LL, November 2021

Facebook post and text from long-time client LM, October 2021

After trading biodynamic sessions with AA, October 2021

It’s such a gift 💝 thank you ~ JH, October 2021

“You did such a great job of helping me relieve the issue, I’m so grateful for the change you made in my life. You will always be at the top of my list for referrals for tmj relief and cranial sacral.” ~ BT, July 2021

I invite you to work with me!

MaryAnn Reynolds
Austin, Texas
maryannreynolds.as.me
512-507-4184 (text or voicemail)

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Treating TMJ issues: sleep posture

Are you aware that there is a pillow specially designed for people with TMJ and neck issues? I’ve had one for several years, and I love it. I take it with me when I travel and when I camp. Since I started using it, I’ve never woken up with neck or jaw pain.

It’s the Therapeutica Sleeping pillow, designed by a chiropractor and an ergonomic designer. It’s…different-looking.

It’s designed for people who sleep on their sides or their back.

I don’t believe there are any pillows designed for stomach sleepers, which is hard on the neck and not great for your organs either.

This pillow comes in five sizes, and you order the size that fits your shoulder width. The proper-sized pillow keeps your head and neck aligned with your spine. Since we spend a third of our lives sleeping, this is important! Good sleep posture makes a difference over time, resulting in fewer neck and jaw issues.

The indentations on the “wings” relieve pressure on your jaw when side-sleeping. Some users also find it helps with shoulder issues.

The pillow comes with a 5-year warranty not to lose its shape or resilience, and many users have used it long beyond 5 years. I put a king-size pillowcase on my average size pillow, which comes with a zippered case.

At $86.99 for an average size, the Therapeutica Sleeping Pillow is expensive for a pillow. If you average it out over 5 years, though, you pay less than $20 per year for child, petite, average, and large adult sizes, and about $22 for extra large. When you look at it that way, it seems totally reasonable to spend this much on a pillow.

Note the link above is for the average size. Be sure to measure and get the size that’s designed for your shoulder width.

Are you a back sleeper? It’s the recommended sleep position for people with TMD. The back-sleeping-only pillow is called the Travel Pillow, and it comes in three sizes.

On Amazon, read the reviews and the Q&A. Note that not everyone likes this pillow. I believe you should try it for a week before deciding, because it may be very different from what you’ve been sleeping on, and therefore it will take time for your body to adjust. You can and will adjust if you give yourself time.

Your flexible spending account may cover the cost, so check on that if you have one. With Amazon, you can use an app like Honey that watches for price changes and notifies you via email if the price drops within 60 days.

For more on TMD and sleep, check out these sites:

If you’ve found relief from TMJ pain using this or a different pillow, please share in the comments.

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Treating TMJ issues: reducing night grinding

A reader asked about grinding the teeth during sleep (night bruxism). Sleep labs have begun to investigate this.

They found that about 1 in 4 people with sleep apnea also grind their teeth while sleeping. When the apnea is treated, the bruxism goes away. So..if you grind, consider going to a sleep lab.

Most people do a little bit of clenching or grinding while asleep.

When is it a problem? When you wake up with jaw or facial pain, earache, headache, or experience difficulty chewing (TMJ disorder). Or perhaps your dentist sees wear and tear on your teeth. Severe bruxism can crack teeth and require expensive dental work.

Why do people grind their teeth at night more than just a little bit? Stress is the main cause and well worth examining. Reducing stress during the day is likely to result in less grinding at night — but no studies have been done on this that I know of.

However, one of the few people I know who stopped grinding their teeth in their sleep said that when they started a regular, daily meditation practice, their night bruxism gradually stopped.

If you have personal experience, please share. We need these stories!

Body mechanics can also play a role. Posture both while awake and asleep influences your nervous system and can produce or relieve stress and tension. Just as with athletic training, learning and practicing good posture may require special training. The Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, alignment-based hatha yoga (Iyengar and Anusara), and structural integration bodywork (i.e., Rolfing) may all be of help.

A special pillow that keeps your head and spine aligned can be helpful. The Therapeutica Sleeping Pillow comes in different sizes based on the distance from your neck to outer shoulder for side sleepers.

Probably the simplest thing you can try is changing your sleep position. If you have night grinding and sleep on your side, try sleeping on your back. It may take some getting used to but may bring you some relief.

Night bruxism may be an attempt to realign your cranial bones. Several sessions of craniosacral therapy may help.

If you have night bruxism, what has helped you?