Your Pillow Is Your Friend
When it comes to having the best pillow, you need to take some serious steps into finding the best match.
Your pillow is your friend. Your pillow is what makes sleeping extra comfortable and safe.
Yes, there are people who prefer to sleep without a pillow, but its personal preference, while most people prefer to lay their head and neck on a nice and comfortable pillow.
This is why it is important to choose the right pillow, the one that will provide a healthy sleeping, pain-free neck.
If a pillow doesnt support your head and neck properly, you can expect to experience a strong tension in your neck muscles, which undoubtedly leads to strong or mild neck pain.
For a neutral spine and neck think about investing in feather or memory foam pillows.
What about orthopedic pillows? Orthopedic pillows are specially designed pillows to help you sleep safer.
They are designed in such a way to maintain the natural curve of your neck, making sleeping safe and comfortable.
What about water-filled pillows? Water-filled pillows are designed to support the neck by absorbing weight.
The great thing about water-filled pillows is that you can customize the amount of support it provides. Basically, the more water you add, the firmer the support.
What about cervical pillows? Cervical pillows are roll-shaped pillows specially designed to maintain the natural shape of the head and neck while sleeping.
Sleeping Position And Stiff Neck
The person feels the pain, discomfort and limited movement upon waking up. However, the stiffness really develops and occurs during sleep; and this is largely because of the persons position while sleeping.
- If the neck or head is set at an awkward angle for a period while sleeping, chances are, youll get a stiff neck in the morning. This is because the awkward angle can stress and stretch the muscles, joints and ligaments in the neck and surrounding areas.
- Sudden movement also causes your neck to become strained and sprained. People tend to suddenly move their head when reacting to a dream or while rolling over their bed.
- You may also have a preexisting injury that is worsened by an improper sleeping position. Some injuries, like whiplash, may take hours before the stiffness and pain set in.
How Can I Avoid Shoulder Pain Related To My Sleeping Position
If you want to prevent shoulder pain from your sleeping posture, you can adjust your position. Sleeping on your stomach strains your neck, back and shoulders. Since you have to turn your head to the side, you put your neck and spine out of alignment. You may continue to sleep on your side if you keep your spine straight and you experience no pain.
Also Check: Does Lidocaine Work For Nerve Pain
Woke Up With Neck Pain Here Are Some Possible Reasons Why
Do you remember how your neck pain began? Was it right after an injury, or did it sneak up on you over time? Chronic neck pain can stop us from sleeping well at night, leading to sleepless nights and stiffness the following day. Sleep is meant to be the time for your body to recover, not experience more pain. Here are some common reasons why you may be experiencing pain when you first wake up.
How To Treat A Stiff Neck After Sleeping
Waking up with a stiff neck can be unexpected and inconvenient. Despite a stiff necks potential for severe, sharp pain and reduced range of motion, some people might feel pressure to maintain the days planned activities, such as going to work or class. Below is an explanation of how a stiff neck might develop during sleep, as well as strategies for finding quick relief before making a decision as to what can be realistically accomplished during the day.
These 4, simple, at-home remedies can help to alleviate neck pain and stiffness that results after sleeping.Watch:Video: 4 Best Stiff Neck Remedies After Sleep
Don’t Miss: Is Stomach Pain A Sign Of Pregnancy
Improper Or Uncomfortable Mattress
Do you have a lumpy old mattress that dips down in the middle? While this may seem comfortable, its time to toss it out! We spend about a third of our lives in bed sleeping, which is why it is crucial that you invest in the right type of mattress to help you prevent or at least manage your neck and shoulder pain. When your spine is not aligned properly because of your lumpy or sagging mattress, you are setting yourself up for neck and shoulder pain.
What Is The Best At
When you have mild shoulder or neck pain, at-home solutions can often solve the problem. You can do simple stretches to keep your muscles flexible. Try squeezing your shoulder blades, rolling your shoulders down and backward or bringing your ear to your shoulder 10 times. Applying heat or ice reduces inflammation and relaxes the muscles. Over-the-counter painkillers can also help.
Read Also: Is Stomach Pain A Sign Of Pregnancy
Your Pillows Might Be Killing Your Neck
After waking up with a searing pain that radiates down to my shoulders, I hunt for the culprit.
My bodys preferred way to remind me that Im aging is through pain. In recent years, my level of consequence-free drinking has plummeted from omg liMitLe$s!! to one and a half standard glasses of Chardonnay. In yoga, I am often forced not to enter the fullest expression of the pose and instead to just kind of lie there.
And then there is The Tweak. About once a monthnot at any certain time of the month, but roughly 12 times a yearI will wake up feeling like someone French-braided my neck muscles overnight. The pain burns from the base of my skull, down one side of my neck or the other, and onto the adjacent shoulder blade. The Tweak makes it impossible to rotate my head fully to one side or the other for the day. Its not an athletic injuryI know no sport. Its also not related to any underlying medical conditions that I know of, though when I talked with experts for this article, they asked me if I am stressed, which I took to be a rhetorical question.
Generally, The Tweak leads me to spend the day hunched over in my chair, kneading at my neck with fingers and marker caps. But it usually goes away by the next morning. So I felt lucky when I connected with a dentist named Michael, who told me he has also experienced mysterious neck pain. Except his situation was much, much worse.
Two Reasons For Torticollis
So now we know the what of neck pain from sleeping. What about the how?
Generally when you wake up with neck pain, there are one or two issues at play here. Either your pillow isnt right for you, the position in which you sleep is aggravating your neck, or both.
You might think that a hard pillow can hurt your neck, but its usually a pillow thats too soft that makes you wake up with neck pain. Just like you need to keep your cervical spine aligned during the day to avoid overly taxing your muscles and ligaments, you need to do the same at night. Its harder, though; you can make a conscious effort in daylight, but how can you control your posture when youre asleep?
Your pillow is the answer. A nice, firm pillow will keep your spine in a straight line from your atlas down to your coccyx . Any deviation from straight runs the risk of torticollis, so avoid it by making sure your pillow is right.
Your pillow or your sleeping position could be the culprit.
The way you sleep can also have a profound effect on the way you wake upready to face the day or ready to crawl back under the covers and hide from your neck pain. The best sleeping position for neck pain is usually on the back.
Back sleeping may not be right for youit can aggravate sleep apnea, for example. In that case, sleeping on your side is the next best thing. Try to avoid stomach sleeping; it can put pressure on nerves that start in your neck, leading to further neck pain or radiculopathy .
Read Also: How Do You Tell If Your Wrist Is Broken
Get A Quick Neck Massage
Although it would be helpful if you can catch a quick massage thats on your way to work, its worthwhile to go out of your way to get one. A massage can relieve your neck pain and decrease the amount of muscle tension in your entire body, leaving you fit for just about anything.
If your neck pain is chronic, you may be able to get help from your insurance to pay for therapeutic massages, so look into them as part of your long-term plan for wellness.
Dont let your nagging neck pain get the better of you. Find ways to relieve your neck pain from sleeping poorly, so you can get your day off to a great start next time.
Save
How Do You Get Rid Of A Stiff Neck In 10 Seconds
For minor, common causes of neck pain, try these simple remedies:
- Apply heat or ice to the painful area.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
- Keep moving, but avoid jerking or painful activities.
- Do slow range-of-motion exercises, up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear.
-
Recommended Reading: How Do You Tell If Your Wrist Is Broken
Best Sleeping Positions For Shoulder Impingement
You have a simple solution for shoulder pain that comes from an improper sleeping position. When you keep pressure off your shoulder, you promote healing and reduce your risk of further damage.
Two sleeping positions work best for an ailing shoulder: sleeping on the unaffected side and sleeping on your back. When youre experiencing pain from sleeping on your side, keep your neck and back straight to reduce potential strain. Sleeping on your back lowers pressure on both shoulders and puts your spine in a neutral position.
Ask Your Doctor About Safe Stretches
For some instances of neck pain, stretches may help; however, because the neck can be a delicate area to work, ask your doctor about these specific stretches before you try them. Yoga, for example, may offer a kind and gentle way to stretch your muscles and bones into feeling better, without causing a lot of strain.
Also Check: Stomach Pains Early Pregnancy
Best Way To Sleep With Neck Pain
Your spine naturally arches in three places. It curves forward at your neck and lower back. It curves the other way in your upper back. Setting up your bed to best maintain these natural curves can help you minimize neck or back pain.
Many people find that using a memory foam helps them manage their neck pain. A 2019 study found that combining a viscoelastic polyurethane memory foam pillow with chiropractic treatment was more effective than chiropractic treatment alone.
You can also try using a soft feather pillow that forms to your head or a pillow with cervical support.
If you sleep on your back:
- Use a thin pillow. A thin pillow lets you keep your upper spine in its natural position with a slight forward curve.
- Try a cervical pillow. A cervical pillow supports your neck and head to keep them in a neutral position.
- Use a supportive mattress. If your mattress is too soft, you may find that you sink into it and your back rounds.
When sleeping on your side:
- Avoid overly high pillows. Ideally, your pillow should be a height that keeps your ears stacked vertically over each other. If your pillow is too high or low, your neck will bend and you may develop pain over time.
- Keep chin neutral. Try to avoid tucking your chin if youre sleeping in the fetal position. Tucking your chin positions your head forward.
- Try putting a pillow between your knees. Putting a pillow between your knees helps keep your lower spine in alignment.
How To Get Rid Of Neck Pain
Neck pain can be relieved with an ice or heat pack on the area for up to 20 minutes at a time. Gentle exercise and stretching, walking, and yoga can help too. Painkillers can help in the short term but only mask the issue. Ensure youre sleeping on a quality pillow so as not to exacerbate symptoms further.; ;
Waking up with aches and pains every morning can have a severe impact on your physical health and mental wellbeing
Recommended Reading: How Do You Tell If Your Wrist Is Broken
Quick Fixes To Loosen Up A Stiff Neck
Try these exercises next time you wake up with neck pain.
We’ve all been there, fell asleep on the couch or in a chair or just woke up and felt a kink in the neck. Maybe you couldn’t turn your head without pain. Many people pop an anti-inflammatory and wait for the effects to take hold or worse they stop moving their neck all together in an effort to stop the pain.
Many times when we just wake up with a stiff neck after one night of sleeping in the wrong position it is just that our muscles have gotten stiff and we need to get some blood flow to them in order to alleviate the pain. If you find yourself in the position that you wake up with a stiff neck, the worst thing you can do is not move it; however, it is equally as bad to try and jam your neck into certain positions that it does not want to go. Giving your neck time to heal and providing it with slow gentle movements will allow the muscles to loosen up and prevent any residual damage. If at any time while you are trying to loosen it up, the pain begins to get much worse or the pain becomes unbearable, you need to seek help from a medical professional and not continue trying to work it out on your own.
Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.
Sleeping Correctly Is Key To Minimizing Neck Pain
How to Get Rid of Neck Pain From Sleeping WrongBefore we look at other ways to relieve neck pain from sleeping wrong, its important to fix the way you are currently sleeping. Bad sleep posture can cause your body all sorts of grief, so one should really learn how to sleep correctly to minimize neck pain.
Arming yourself with the best pillow to suit your sleeping style is also detrimental to relieving neck pain. Ideally, you want to master the art of back sleeping and therefor buy the best pillows suitable for back sleepers. This is the best sleeping position in my opinion to reduce neck problems. The spine is perfectly aligned and the head is not forcing pressure on one side of the neck or shoulders in this position.
However, the majority of people are side sleepers. So in this case, if you find it too difficult to sleep on your back, I would recommend trying out orthopedic pillows for neck and shoulder pain. By investing in the right pillow when you sleep on your side you will be reducing the amount of stress put on your neck and shoulders, while getting a comfortable nights sleep.Once you are positioned better with the right sleeping accessories, here are six helpful ways you can relieve neck pain after sleeping that should get your day off to a better start.
Recommended Reading: Belly Fat Back Pain
Home Remedies For Kinked Neck And Neck Pain
The pain and stiffness due to kinked neck usually subsides in 2 to 3 days or may be in a weeks time on its own. But there are some home remedies that can ease the pain and make things better.
- If you woke up with a stiff neck in the morning, the most common cause is your awkward sleeping position. Start with the pillow and see if it is hurting your neck. Take thin pillow that is not so hard or not so soft.
- The next best home remedy to alleviate pain is hot water fomentation. You can apply a hot water bottle or a bag on the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes every hour or as your body permits. Heat helps in blood circulation to the affected muscles, and it also relaxes the neck muscle spasms.
- A heating pad is another alternative for treating neck spasm and pain. It speeds up the healing of strained muscles and relaxes them.
If the pain is unbearable or in excess, you can take prescribed anti inflammatory and muscle relaxant medicines after consulting your doctor.
Why Is It Important To Choose The Right Pillow And Mattress
The only way you can maintain a good posture even while sleeping depends purely on where and what you sleep on. Your bed and your pillow will speak of that. It is very important to use the right pillow and the right mattress to get the correct and healthy sleeping position. A pillow too hard or a pillow too soft can strain your neck and back muscles. A sinking mattress will add to your suffering.
There are several cervical pillows and mattresses with ergonomic design. Depending on your requirement, you must choose the right pillow and mattress for maximum comfort.
So you see, a sore neck after sleeping is totally avoidable. It only takes a bit of care and some healthy lifestyle decisions. So ditch that sagging bed, buy yourself a good pillow and adopt a balanced sleeping position. Give your neck some much-needed attention. However, in the case of acute pain or if the pain refuses to subside, then it is best to consult the doctor.
Also Read:
You May Like: Is Heat Or Ice Good For Nerve Pain
Read Also: Can Blueberries Cause Stomach Pain
https://kn-my-p-n.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/stiff-neck-after-sleeping-how-to-treat-and-prevent-it.jpeg
https://www.knowmypain.com/how-to-fix-neck-pain-from-sleeping-wrong/
https://kn-my-p-n.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/stiff-neck-after-sleeping-how-to-treat-and-prevent-it.jpeg
https://knowmypain.weebly.com/know-my-pain/how-to-fix-neck-pain-from-sleeping-wrong
No comments:
Post a Comment