Between work, family, and managing everyday demands that require you to be at your best, living with chronic headaches can be a headache all on its own.

If “You just get headaches – it's a family thing” sounds like a familiar phrase around the dinner table, consulting a dedicated sleep apnea coach might break down some generational walls and bring much-needed cranial relief.

While genetics do play a role when it comes to experiencing headaches, the bigger reason may come down to other aspects of your life that might stem all the way back from childhood development, which can ultimately impact your quality of sleep into adulthood.

These can include posture, whether you breathe out your mouth instead of your nostrils, the position your tongue rests at, how you chew and swallow food, and even the overall shape of your mouth.

Have you ever heard of the temporalis muscle? It’s a muscle that spans both sides of your head and comes down to attach to the jaw. If you wake up with a headache accompanied by jaw pain, this can be one of the reasons. Think of it this way: if the muscles are tight in the jaw, that will go straight to your head.

If you suffer from headaches, you might also be suffering from jaw-related issues that force you to eat softer foods, take smaller bites to accommodate any pain that might be present.