Can my brain cause my head to tilt to the side?

By: Peter Stamos

Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror and noticed your head tilting to one side? If so, please read on. From a biomechanics lens, usually, this as a counter to what is going on below at the rib cage and pelvis. If you dive deeper and ask yourself why our joints would act this way, you return to the brain. 

Nothing happens in our body without the brain’s knowledge. The brainstem is one area of the brain that can cause a lateral head tilt. At the top of the brainstem is the midbrain, which has cranial nerves three and four and controls most of our eye muscles. So, if we have a problem with our visual system, it can cause a lateral head tilt. 

Symptoms associated with an overactive midbrain include headaches, motion sickness, jaw clenching, and light sensitivity. How does your midbrain become overactive? The two most common ways are chronic stress and overexposure to blue light. Controlling stress is challenging, but diminishing blue light exposure can be easily accomplished. Buy a pair of blue-light-blocking eyeglasses. When you wear them, you will notice your head shifting back to center after some time. That is because the side your head was tilting toward was the overactive midbrain, and by wearing the blue-light-blocking eyeglasses, you have reduced activity on that side. Good luck. I hope this helps.