Recently we have seen a number of patients come in to clinic with a sore neck from sleeping ‘funny’. Here our massage therapist Cesar delves deeper into what could be causing neck pain after an improper sleeping position.
You are starting your morning, and you notice a new pain from sleeping – oof! Speaking of waking up on the wrong side of the bed, most of us have experienced this issue at some point. Even the simplest movements can be painful. Experiencing neck discomfort upon waking up can be a frustrating and debilitating experience, often the result of sleeping in an improper or uncomfortable position. Fortunately, several practical steps can alleviate neck pain and improve sleep quality. Here is some advice on how we can help you eliminate neck pain from sleeping in the wrong position.
A strain on the muscles in your neck usually causes pain. Occasionally, it can be pinched nerves in your neck area. Typically, neck pain can be caused when your neck is not aligned with the rest of your spine during sleep. This can result from sleeping position, too many pillows, incorrect pillows, or other sleep issues. So, what causes neck pain after sleeping? There are several suspects. Let’s take a closer look at some below.
You slept in a funny position.
This can occur when someone sleeps on their back or stomach or curls into a tight ball. Sleeping positions can be highly individual. However, some positions are better for keeping your neck pain-free in the morning. For example, sleeping on your stomach is likely to cause stiffness in your neck since it means your neck was twisted to one side or another for hours at a time during the night.
You slept with too many pillows.
While stacking up fun pillows to plunge your head into bed may seem luxurious at first, this poufy mountain of fluff can keep your neck out of alignment while sleeping. In other words, your neck’s muscles get strained due to the fixated sleeping position. Make sure when you sleep that your neck is aligned with the rest of your spine when you fall asleep, so that you are in a more neutral position.
Sudden movements.
Sitting up quickly or jolting your head around while dreaming may cause tension and pressure in your neck muscles. The quick movement can leave you with a sore neck when you wake up. Similarly, turning and tossing in your sleep may put your neck in less-than-ideal positions, leaving you achy and stiff in the morning.
Previous injuries.
If you previously experienced any trauma, such as a car accident, fall, slip, or contact sports, symptoms may not appear right away. Therefore, you may go to bed feeling good but wake up with a stiff neck.
How do we help treat this issue?
If you wake up with neck pain, it is best to keep yourself calm. Do not wear a neck collar or do anything too strenuous, such as driving, gym training, running, or cycling.
First, do some stretching.
Gentle stretching can help you loosen up the ligaments and muscles in your neck area that have become tight and stiff after sleeping funny. The goal is to increase and restore flexibility gradually. You can tilt, lateral flex, bend, and rotate your neck to loosen your muscles and gently regain full mobility.
Second, apply ice or heat.
Apply an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel to your neck for up to 15-20 minutes daily. This can help reduce inflammation, gain flexibility, and relieve pain—alternate cold therapy with heat to soothe those tight muscles in your neck. In addition, you can take a bath or apply a patch.
Third, get suitable pillows.
Make sure you use pillows that correctly cradle your head while you sleep. This is important because it will maintain your neck at the same level as the rest of your spine, keeping you in a more neutral position. This means your head would not be tilted toward the ceiling or sloped toward the floor while asleep. Instead, it will align your shoulders with your ears, keeping stress off your neck muscles. We have a whole other blog about pillows here!
Fourth, get a massage.
Sports massage therapy can benefit you physically and mentally. For example, the physical benefits of massage therapy could help you with your activities of daily living, improve circulation, decrease muscle stiffness, increase range of motion, add movements after joint replacement surgery, decrease joint pain, decrease muscular pain, reduce muscular soreness, increase recovery between workouts, improve flexibility and reduce neck pain after sleeping in a funny position.
Overall, when you are experiencing neck pain from sleeping, your day will be affected. Awareness of the causes of neck pain after sleeping can help prevent the joy-reducing experience. Pain can disrupt standard sleep patterns, leading to daytime fatigue and exacerbating the underlying condition. Integrating healthy sleep practices, such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, reading before bed, and stretching, can help improve sleep quality. Sleeping the wrong way causes nerve compression and decreases the range of motion. The wrong sleeping position can squeeze your cervical area, making you feel pain, numbness, lack of motion, stiffness, or muscle weakness. I hope some of these suspects can explain your discomfort if you ever get neck pain.
We are here to help. You can always make an appointment to see one of our practitioners to help you with more tips about sleeping and neck pain prevention.
