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The surprising link between facial pain and “sleep”: What recent research reveals about how your personality affects your rest

Introduction: Why talk about sleep and personality “at the dentist”? “I wake up with a heavy, tired jaw.” “I have a vague, hard-to-pinpoint pain in my chewing muscles and jaw joints.” Many people visit the dentist with these concerns. Especially for patients in their 30s and 40s—the prime working years, with an average age of 37.6 in the study data—these issues are often written off as just another part of everyday stress.

However, a recent study by Orzeszek and colleagues published in 2025 makes it clear that this “facial pain” is not merely an oral problem. It is closely linked to a person’s “personality traits” and how they “perceive sleep quality.” From a dental sleep medicine perspective, this article explains—based on scientific evidence—how your personality shapes your sleep and pain.

Surprising finding 1: A large gap between “how you feel your sleep is” and “how you actually sleep” For those who feel sleep-deprived, the data are highly instructive. The study compared patients’ self-reported questionnaire results with objective measurements taken using video polysomnography (vPSG), a sophisticated instrument. A clear “mismatch” emerged between the two.

In particular, people with lower “Emotional Stability”—that is, those who are more prone to anxiety and sensitivity—tended to strongly feel “I don’t sleep well,” even when objective data (such as sleep efficiency and total sleep time) showed no issues.

Analysis/Commentary: In clinical practice, recognizing this gap in perception is the first step in treatment. Specialized testing (vPSG) does more than measure sleep status; it can also use objective facts to release patients from the subjective worry of “I’m not sleeping.”

The paper states: “However, regarding objectively measured sleep quality assessed by polysomnography, such a relationship (a correlation with emotional stability) was not observed (p > 0.05).”

In other words, sleep complaints depend strongly on the psychological filter of “how the brain feels.”

Surprising finding 2: The more intellectually curious you are, the longer it takes to fall asleep People high in the personality trait of “Intellect/Openness”—imaginative, creative, and introspective types—were found to have longer sleep latency, the time from lights out to falling asleep.

This is likely because their brains don’t switch off at bedtime, with ideas and thoughts continuing to flow. But here’s an interesting “paradox.” According to the latest analysis (Table 6), while people high in Intellect take longer to fall asleep, their scores for general anxiety (GAD-7) and stress (KPS) tend to be lower.

Analysis/Commentary: Strong intellectual curiosity may function as a “protective factor” for mental health. Rather than pathologizing slow sleep onset as “insomnia,” reframing it as “a sign of an active, healthy intellect” could help ease stress at bedtime.

Surprising finding 3: Do calmer, more sociable people grind their teeth more? The paradox of the “stable grinder” The most counterintuitive discovery in this study concerns the relationship between sleep bruxism (teeth grinding) and personality. Contrary to the common belief that “nervous people grind their teeth,” objective data (BEI: Bruxism Episode Index) showed the opposite.

In fact, individuals who scored higher in “Extraversion” (energetic) and also higher in “Emotional Stability” (calm, self-assured) showed a positive correlation with a higher actual grinding frequency (BEI) (Table 3, p = 0.027).

Analysis/Commentary: This gives rise to the paradox of the “stable grinder.” People with active, stable personalities may have higher biological energy, leading to more jaw activity (grinding) during sleep. Yet they tend to be less sensitive to pain and may not notice they are wearing down their teeth. Conversely, those lower in emotional stability may register even small loads as “strong pain,” despite fewer grinding episodes. It’s important to remember that bruxism is multifactorial, involving not only personality but also external factors like genetics, caffeine, and nicotine.

Core finding: What determines pain intensity is less tissue damage than “emotional stability” The key clinical point is that the impact of orofacial pain (OFP) and headaches correlated most strongly with “Emotional Stability.”

Patients who are more prone to worry and anxiety (lower Emotional Stability) tend to rate their pain as more severe and are far more likely to feel that it interferes with “work and daily life” (as measured by MIDAS: Migraine Disability Assessment, and HIT-6: Headache Impact Test).

Quotation: “Emotional stability showed the strongest relationship with and influence on patients’ pain reports and psychological deterioration.”

This suggests that even when there are no major structural issues in the temporomandibular joint, psychological “sensitization” can markedly lower quality of life through pain.

Conclusion: Let dental care become a chance to “know yourself” Facial pain and sleep problems extend beyond technical issues like “occlusion” or “mouthguard fit” and are inseparably linked to a patient’s “personality tendencies” and “psychological background.”

In modern dental sleep medicine, it is vital not only to assess pain and physical symptoms but also to adopt a biopsychosocial model that includes psychological and social factors. If you struggle with persistent facial pain or a sense that “sleep doesn’t restore me,” this may be an important signal from both body and mind.

“How do you think your own ‘personality tendencies’ are influencing your current pain and sleep?”

Consider consulting a dentist who works from this perspective. Multimodal care aligned with your personality and sensibilities—such as combining relaxation and psychological support—may be the true key to relieving your pain.

Reference

Orzeszek, S., Martynowicz, H., Smardz, J., Wojakowska, A., Bombała, W., Jenca Jr, A., & Więckiewicz, M. (2025). Relationship between pain, quality of sleep, sleep bruxism and patients’ personality among individuals with reported orofacial pain. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 25009.

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