In order to provide a cylinder head gasket, comprising at least one gasket sheet, with at least one combustion chamber opening and a combustion chamber bead, the height of which may be elastically deformed and surrounds the combustion chamber opening, and at least one deformation limiting means limiting the deformation of the combustion chamber bead, wherein the deformation limiting means assures adequate protection of the combustion chamber bead and adequate sealing surface pressure over a wide range of operating conditions of the engine, it is proposed that the cylinder head gasket comprises a compensation means which comprises at least one compensation element, the height of which varies essentially reversibly when the operating status of the engine changes, and which at least partially supports both the combustion chamber bead and the deformation limiting means.