Anyone who has constant or daily headaches often reaches for a tablet – and wonders why things do not get better. The reason is obvious: painkillers dampen the symptom, not what triggers it. And the trigger lies outside the head more often than you might think. You should know these seven.
The 7 most common causes of chronic headaches
- Too little or restless sleep. A disturbed sleep–wake rhythm is one of the strongest triggers of all.
- Lack of fluids. Even mild dehydration can cause a dull, constant headache.
- Screen and postural strain. Hours with the head tilted forward overload the neck and back of the head.
- Stress and muscular tension. The classic tension-type headache: shoulders, neck and jaw cramp up.
- Medication overuse. Painkillers on more than ten days a month can themselves sustain headaches.
- Eyes and blood pressure. Uncorrected refractive error or fluctuations in blood pressure as a trigger. And the question that often gets lost: are your glasses or contact lenses currently correctly fitted?
- The jaw system (CMD). An unfavourable bite position and grinding at night can permanently overload the jaw muscles and irritate the trigeminal nerve.
Rule of thumb: if you have eliminated the first six points and still have headaches – especially in the morning – a look at the jaw system is worthwhile.
Why the jaw system is so rarely checked
The trigeminal nerve is the main nerve for head and facial pain – and it also supplies the jaw joint and the chewing muscles. If the bite is unfavourable, or if you clench and grind at night, these muscles constantly work against resistance. The tension can carry on via muscle chains into the temples, neck and back of the head.
The tricky part: in the neurological work-up and imaging, “everything is unremarkable” – not through negligence, but because nobody there measures the bite. That is no criticism of those who have treated you so far. Each specialty carefully examines its own area; hardly anyone looks at the interplay in between as a whole. Why this is so →
Do your headaches come from the jaw system? A short self-check
Several “yes” answers suggest that a look is worthwhile:
- The pain is worst in the morning.
- Your jaw clicks or grates when chewing and yawning.
- Your partner or dentist has noticed teeth grinding.
- Temples and cheeks are tender to pressure.
- You also have chronic neck and shoulder tension.
What helps now
In the short term: drink, sleep hygiene, screen breaks and loosening the neck and jaw muscles (simple exercises at home). That gives you some breathing space, but it does not replace clarifying the cause.
If the jaw system is involved, this can be measured instead of assumed: the CMD System Check records, among other things, muscle activity by EMG and chewing forces tooth by tooth. You take the first step in two minutes with the CMD self-test.
When you should go straight to a doctor instead of to us: with a sudden, very severe headache, with fever and a stiff neck, with visual, speech or paralysis symptoms, or with a headache after a fall, you need an immediate medical or neurological assessment – not CMD diagnostics. This is not a formality, but the point at which order matters.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do about constant headaches?
First check and eliminate the common triggers: sleep, fluid intake, posture, stress, overuse of painkillers. If the headaches persist and everything is “unremarkable” neurologically, it is worth having the jaw system assessed. The CMD self-test gives a first assessment.
Can headaches come from the jaw or the teeth?
That is possible and professionally well understood for head and facial pain: an unfavourable bite position and teeth grinding can overload the jaw muscles and irritate the trigeminal nerve. The typical combination is morning pain, jaw clicking, tender temples and neck tension.
When are chronic headaches dangerous?
With a sudden, very severe headache, with fever and a stiff neck, with visual or speech disturbances, with paralysis or after a fall: have it assessed by a doctor immediately.
What helps quickly against persistent headaches?
Drinking, fresh air, loosening the neck and jaw muscles, screen breaks, regular sleep. Painkillers on at most ten days a month. This relieves – it does not find the cause.
Is it coming from the jaw system? Take the self-test
Without obligation – with an initial assessment straight away.