Can Neck Pain Be Treated Without Surgery Click Here To Read Our Guide
Neck sprains are often confused for neck strains, but they are a bit different. Strains are often caused by poor posture , lifting something thats too heavy, or repetitive motions. A neck sprain occurs when a ligament or muscle in the neck is overly stretched. This injury may occur without any obvious reason, but a sudden impact causing the neck to extend beyond its normal range and then snap back is usually the cause. You may not experience the symptoms immediately: they usually take a day or two to present themselves.
A neck injury is likely to cause stiffness that makes moving the neck painful. This may also cause the back of the head, shoulders, and upper back to hurt. You may also experience dizziness, fatigue, ringing in the ears, and occasional numbness in the hands and arms. Other symptoms include muscle spasms, tingling or weakness in the arms, and increased irritability. If youre suffering from chronic, severe painespecially accompanied by pain radiating down your legs and arms, you should immediately seek medical attention.
Neck pain is often attributed to sleeping wrong, so how can you sleep right?
Do Be Mindful Of How You Get In And Out Of Bed
Jerking yourself out of bed quickly or getting in too fast can exacerbate lower back pain, so make sure youre careful about doing each:
When getting into bed, first sit down near the place where you want to sleep. Then, using your hands as support, bend your knees and slowly lie down on your side. Take care to keep your torso straight.
When getting out of bed, you basically want to do the opposite. Roll onto your side first towards the edge of the bed, bend your knees, then use your arms to help push yourself up and swing your legs over the side. This will help you keep from bending at your waist, which can engage your back.
How To Sleep With Neck Pain
This article was medically reviewed by Jarod Carter, DPT, CMT. Jarod Carter is a Physical Therapist, Consultant, and the Owner of Carter Physiotherapy, a manual physical therapy clinic in Austin, Texas focused on manual therapy as well as telehealth services to resolve pain and injuries. Dr. Carter has over 15 years of professional physical therapy experience. He received a DPT and an MTC from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Dr. Carter also holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin. This article has been viewed 125,433 times.
Sleeping with neck pain can be painful and frustrating. However, protecting your neck and keeping your sleep pain-free is possible! Start by selecting a sleep position that will cushion and support, rather than agitate your neck. Then, use sleep supports and make your bedroom cozy so you can get a good nights sleep, despite your neck pain.
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Alternate Sides If Youre A Side Sleeper
Some evidence suggests that habitually sleeping on one side on an ill-fitting mattress may contribute to muscle imbalance and pain. Always sleeping on the same side suspends the middle of your body between your hips and shoulders, the broadest parts of the trunk. Place a pillow between your knees as shown below to keep hips, pelvis and spine aligned.
The Best Sleeping Position For Neck Pain
Almost everyone has had a sore or stiff neck at some point in their lives. According to the World Health Organization, back and neck pain and arthritis, and bone fractures are among the most common disabling muscle or bone injuries.
Approximately 10% to 20% of adults experience neck pain at any given time. Neck pain usually resolves on its own, but it can develop into a persistent issue in around half of the cases.
Getting a good nights sleep might be difficult with a tight neck. Making a few adjustments to your sleeping patterns, on the other hand, can help you manage your neck pain and avoid sleeping in unpleasant positions for long periods.
Lets take a look at which sleeping positions are most likely to relieve neck pain. Well also look at other things you can do before bed to help alleviate pain.
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Sleeping On Your Back
Sleeping on your back helps maintain your spines natural curves. You can use a thinner pillow in this position than you would when sleeping on your side. Your head position should be only slightly raised so that its at a similar angle as when youre standing.
Using a cervical pillow or a memory foam pillow can help support your head or neck. If you regularly snore or deal with sleep apnea, you may want to try sleeping on your side instead of your back.
Sleeping On Your Side
If you tend to wake up with back pain, take pressure off your back by sleeping on your side. The best way to keep your body in position for side-sleeping is with your knees bent and a light pillow placed in between your legs so your knees do not rub against each other.
To support sleeping on your side, use a full-length body pillow, or have pillows both between your legs and in front of your chest to support your arm so it doesnt hang awkwardly and cause shoulder pain. You may also want to position another pillow behind your back to help keep you in place. By adding pillows, you are maintaining the backs natural curve, preventing lumbar rotation, and reducing the chances of waking up with back pain.
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Pick A Supportive Pillow
Picking the right pillow might just be the solution to your persistent pain.;The most important thing is keeping your neck and spine aligned, based on your sleeping position.
A good sleeping posture is key to sleeping soundly, night after night, and to waking without pain and stiffness, says Dr. Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and noted sleep expert in a blog post on his website. Your pillow helps to support a healthy sleep posture.
So how do you choose the best pillow for you?
Your height, weight, and personal preferences will help determine what pillow you ultimately choose, but here are some general guidelines based on your sleeping position:
- Side sleepers typically need the thickest/firmest pillow because they need to support their head and neck so that it lays in the middle of the shoulders. A rounded pillow may be a good choice for side sleepers to have high support around the neck and lower under the head.
- Back sleepers need flatter pillows that support the natural curvature of the neck and spine and promote a neutral alignment.
- Lastly, stomach sleepers would benefit from pillows no more than 3 in height, or they risk putting additional strain on their neck .
When looking at the materials of pillows, feather pillows and memory foam pillows can provide the support and comfort to help reduce your neck pain.
Overall, try to avoid a very stiff or high pillow. This can force the neck to remain flexed while your sleep and lead to additional neck pain.
Is It Better To Sleep Without A Pillow To Avoid Neck Pain
Is it better to sleep without a pillow to avoid neck pain? Or, does sleeping without a pillow actually lead to neck pain? There are a few advantages of sleeping without a pillow to consider, especially for your posture.
Sleeping without a pillow will actually help extend your back and help you rest in a more natural position, possibly without any aches or pains. At the same time, using a pillow that is too soft will strain your neck muscles and reduce the flow of blood to the head.
Overall, sleeping without or with a pillow is a personal choice. That being said, here are some sleeping without a pillow benefits that you need to know:
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Dont Stay In One Position All Night
You might be afraid of moving from one position to the other during the night, but its actually okay and desired to move some while sleeping. Any sleeping position, even if its a good one, can add up to too much pressure on your back if you stay there all night. Plus, theres a risk of additional pain or muscle imbalance from this.
Potential Drawbacks Of Sleeping Without A Pillow
Clinical studies are lacking when it comes to the advantages and disadvantages of sleeping without a pillow, but there may be some drawbacks to consider before discarding your pillow. Pillows may be helpful for people with conditions such as heartburn or obstructive sleep apnea. They also help many sleepers maintain a healthier sleep posture and reduce back and neck pain.
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Do Use Hot Or Cold Therapy Before Bed
Use hot or cold elements on your back can help sooth your pain before bed. This could include ice or a cold gel pack wrapped in cloth applied to your back, taking a warm shower or hot bath, or using a heating pad or hot water bottle on the affected area for 15-20 minutes before bed.
Hot or cold therapy can help reduce inflammation caused by lower back pain and promote relief before you go to sleep. Generally, heat is better for longer chronic back pain while ice is better in the first 72 hours.
The Worst Sleep Position: On Your Stomach
Sleeping on your stomach is the worst position for your spine, according to Raymond J. Hah, MD, a spine surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC and assistant professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. This position puts the most pressure on your spines muscles and joints because it flattens the natural curve of your spine, he says. Sleeping on your stomach also forces you to turn your neck, which can cause neck and upper back pain.
Research shows that theres a correlation between pain and sleep, so it makes sense to incorporate simple changes in your sleep style that alleviate back pain and less pain means better sleep.
Do you have back pain? The experts at the USC Spine Center can help. Schedule an appointment or call USC-CARE .
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How Your Sleeping Position Can Worsen Your Pain
One of the big culprits of your neck or shoulder pain could be your sleeping position. Ideally, you should;sleep on your back or side to avoid neck pain.
Stomach sleeping is the worst sleeping position for people who have neck pain since this position already puts a lot of strain on the neck and lower back, especially if you also use a thick pillow.
For sleepers with shoulder pain, its best to avoid sleeping on your side, especially the side that you have the most pain on. Back sleeping will be more comfortable for people who have shoulder pain. Just be sure to sleep with your arms relaxed to your side. If you sleep with your arms up above your head, this may end up worsening your shoulder pain.
Try Adding Some Accessories
When it comes to sleep, your biggest accessory is the mattress you spend eight hours each night on. And like a best friend or significant other, you want your mattress to be supportive.
Generally, a firm mattress is better, Pham says. It comes down to it not collapsing in, no matter how your body mass is distributed. Soft mattresses may feel like a bed of clouds at first, but in the long-term, they have the potential to cause more aches and pains because they fold more easily under your center of mass.
Coming in close second to your mattress are pillows, and theres a variety of ways to use them to relieve back and neck pain.
Phams top suggestion is getting yourself a cervical rollyou know, those special neck alignment pillows youve definitely seen in an infomercial. But put your credit card down, because you can make your own by simply rolling up a towel if you dont want to spend money.
If you sleep on your side or back and have neck pain, youll want to place the cervical roll under the bottom half of your neck for more support. You can use it with your regular pillow, and Phams pro tip is putting the rolled up towel right into your pillowcase.
If your back is killing you but you cant help but sleep on it, Pham suggests adding pillows under your lower back and under your knees. Those with back pain who sleep on their stomachs can try adding a pillow beneath their hips to alleviate some pressure.
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Poor Sleep Posture And Neck Pain
May 15, 2020
Sometimes, just a slight turn to one side or the other while sleeping at night can create a crick in the neck area. The crick is due to stiffened muscles in the lower neck and shoulders after the neck has supported the head in an awkward position while lying down.
Because the head weighs approximately 10 pounds, the neck muscles truly have a heavy load to support. Neck pain is often associated with poor sleeping habits, as we may awaken in the morning with a stiff and sore neck. The neck pain can also affect the necks range of motion during the rest of the day.
Changing how and where you fall asleep every night will help to alleviate your neck pain. Lets talk about some basic sleep changes you can make and who can help you address your sleep issues if they continue.
Sleeping On The Back:
Sleeping on your back is the best sleeping posture because it helps distribute weight evenly across the body, keeps the alignment of your internal organs in check, and reduces the amount of pressure points that you might experience from side sleeping. Tip: use a thinner pillow to make sure your head doesnt protrude forward which can contribute to forward neck posture.
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Home Remedies For Neck Pain
If you wake up with a sore neck, there are several remedies you can try to help ease the pain. You likely dont need to see a doctor, especially if you dont have any other symptoms, and you havent had a sore neck for long. Here are some self-care options you can try:
- Apply ice or a cold pack to the sore part of your neck for 20 minutes at a time. This can help reduce inflammation in your neck muscles.
- If youve had pain for a day or more, apply a heat pack to the sore area for 20 minutes at a time. This can help to soothe and relax the muscles.
- Try over-the-counter painkillers, such as ibuprofen , naproxen , or acetaminophen .
- Do some gentle exercises, like walking or yoga. This can help keep the blood flowing to your neck. Dont stop moving altogether. Not moving can cause your muscles to tighten up.
To help prevent neck pain when you wake up, there are steps you can take to support your neck and reduce the strain on your neck muscles.
A couple of simple exercises can help keep your neck muscles strong and limber, which may reduce the risk of waking up with pain in your neck.
Buy A Mattress With Adaptive Support And Pressure Relief
Sleeping on a high-quality hybrid mattress with an adaptive coil core and memory foam or latex foam in the upper comfort layer is one of the most effective ways to prevent upper back and neck pain by helping you sleep in good posture.
For side sleepers with upper back and neck pain, I personally recommend the Puffy Lux Hybrid mattress because it has more give around the shoulders to allow for better posture.
1.1: Orthopedic Mattress Can Prevent Upper Back and Neck Pain
I usually tell my patients who suffer from severe back pain to switch to an orthopedic mattress as they are specially designed to provide targeted support to the joints of your musculoskeletal system.;
Several studies have shown significant improvements in back pain relief, back discomfort, back stiffness, and overall sleep quality among volunteers who used orthopedic bedding for 28 days , , .
An orthopedic mattress offers a firm surface that helps the sleeper obtain the correct sleep posture.;
The unique design of an orthopedic mattress evenly distributes the body weight to prevent the build-up of tension and pressure on the neck, back, and hip joints.;
Hence, switching to an orthopedic mattress is worth consideration for back pain and neck pain patients.
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Ditch Your Phone Before Bedtime
Believe it or not, your phone could be hindering your sleep in a couple ways by:
- Causing neck pain. Many people bend their head down to look at the phone while texting or browsing the web. The further you bend your head forward, the more stress it puts on the cervical spineup to 60 pounds of force.1 Spending too much time looking down at the phone may cause neck pain, also commonly called text neck.
- Disrupting the sleep cycle. Your phone emits a blue light, which may be problematic at nighttime when your body is trying to get ready for sleep. Some studies suggest that exposure to blue light may inhibit sleep by delaying your bodys release of melatonin.2 Since sleep is an important part of the bodys healing process, less sleep may also contribute to neck pain.
Try these 4 easy stretches before bedtime. Watch:4 Easy Stretches for Neck and Shoulder Pain Video
Stretching your neck loosens tight muscles and may help relieve pain. Here is one easy neck stretch you can try before bed to loosen your levator scapulae muscle .
- Sit up straight with both hands at the sides.
- Raise the right arm forward and reach over the back with the hand grasping the right shoulder blade and applying downward pressure.
- While keeping everything else still, rotate the head to the left about 45 degrees .
- Tilt the chin downward until a good stretch is felt on the back right side of the neck.
- Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, or as tolerated.
- Repeat on other side.
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