Many people suffer from cervical neck pain when sleeping or when waking up in the morning. Neck pain can often be caused by poor posture, as well as problems related to the mattress and pillow, and the truth is that this is very annoying, and can even interfere with our quality of life by not getting enough rest. In this article, we want to help you answer the main causes of why we suffer from this pain. We also explain how to sleep with cervical neck pain and how to avoid neck pain when sleeping. Keep reading this article for more information.
Why does my neck hurt when sleeping?
Cervical neck pain is one of the common problems among adults in the USA. For many, this pain can be a short-term condition. However, for other people, it can be longer than 6 months.
Well, neck pain can be caused by several things, and in most cases, it usually leads to torticollis or, in other words, a prolonged muscle contraction that affects the neck muscles and usually causes a slight twist in the head.
What happens is that our body suffers a strain on the muscles or soft parts, such as ligaments and tendons. In the latter cases, recovery is usually faster than muscle strains because they usually have a greater blood supply that facilitates improvement.
Now, why does my neck hurt when I sleep? Following are some of the main causes that influence neck pain when sleeping.
Bad posture:
Sleeping with a bad posture is one of the main causes why our neck usually hurts. What happens in this case is that the muscles can become distended by having subjected the neck to constant tension throughout the night.
Using a mobile phone:
When we talk about neck pain when sleeping due to poor posture, we are not only referring to the hours we spend in bed. We are also referring to the position of the neck when we are awake and the pain or discomfort we feel when we go to bed. One of the most common causes today is due to the constant use of the mobile phone. This means that, compared to our neutral posture, there is a tilt of the neck of between 45 and 60 degrees, which causes the weight of the head to increase from 5 kg - when it is in a neutral position to almost 30 kg when it is tilted.
In the long term, this has repercussions on serious problems of neck pain, damage to the spine, loss of cervical mobility, or stiffness. The main symptoms of poor posture are usually difficulty moving the neck, pain located in one point or area of the neck, weakness in the shoulder muscles, or tension headaches.
Overexertion and poorly performed exercises:
This is another reason why our necks can hurt when we sleep. This is very common when doing strength exercises or carrying excessive weight. This is known as cervical or neck pain and, although in most cases it is not usually serious, it is important to be careful as it can be painful in the long run. Poorly performed exercises, such as sit-ups, can also cause neck pain.
Neck pain due to stress:
The muscular tension caused by stress causes us to adopt a bad posture without realizing it - such as hunching the shoulders forward and tilting the head back more. This ends up affecting pain in the neck and head.
Changing your mattress or pillow:
Many of the main back and neck pains when sleeping in bed are due to using a worn or low-quality mattress. And over the years, the neck ends up losing firmness and may even become deformed on one side. This causes us to adopt the incorrect sleeping position which can lead to the aforementioned pain. The pillow, on the other hand, is also often responsible for these pains. The recommended size or thickness of the pillow varies depending on the position we adopt to sleep.
How to sleep with cervical neck pain?
The key to sleeping with neck pain is to work on your posture and check your resting place. Keep the following in mind:
- The best position to sleep with neck pain: The best position to sleep with neck pain is in the fetal position. That is, on your side, with your knees and arms bent. In this way, the joints will be in the correct position and the cervical, dorsal, and lumbar muscles will not have any tension, so they will be relaxed.
- How to sleep to relax the neck: Apart from the fetal position, we can also choose other positions to answer how to sleep to relax the neck. It is important to keep in mind that if we sleep on our back, it will keep our neck straight, but if we sleep on our side, it will support our neck in better conditions.
Tips to avoid neck pain when sleeping:
After having seen which are the most recommended positions to sleep and relax the neck, we are going to give a series of tips to relieve neck pain due to poor sleep, stress, or caused by other problems:
- Apply ice or heat for approximately 20 minutes
- Medicines such as paracetamol or ibuprofen are recommended to treat contractures and pain.
- Massages in the affected area that promote blood circulation
- Stretches and exercises to relieve pain
Choosing the right cervical pillow:
It is always advisable to not use a pillow that is too high. Keep the following in mind:
- Low pillow (10 cm): For those who sleep on their stomach.
- Medium pillow (12 to 13 cm): For those who sleep on their back. This should be lower than the shoulders and have a medium firmness.
- High pillow (15 cm): For those who sleep on their side. It keeps the head and neck well aligned.
Place a pillow between your knees: Placing the cervical pillow between your knees is very helpful in adopting the correct posture, which will prevent you from suffering from neck pain, and also help you rest better when you sleep on your side.
How to avoid neck pain when sleeping?
After explaining what is the best position to sleep with neck pain, and answering how to sleep to relax your neck, it is time to answer how to avoid neck pain. Keep in mind the following tips:
- Applying ice and heat: You can use a cold compress and apply it to the neck or, on the contrary, use seed compresses that generate moist heat and apply it for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Over-the-counter medications: Over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol or ibuprofen are highly recommended to relieve neck contractures and pain.
- Massages: Another way to relieve neck pain is to massage the affected area to promote blood circulation.
- Stretches and exercises for pain: Ask your physical therapist about the best stretches and exercises to relieve neck pain.
- Chiropractic: Chiropractic is also a highly recommended option for more serious problems and very useful for answering how to avoid neck pain when sleeping.
Well, if you are suffering from cervical neck pain and looking for the best and most effective neck pain pillow, we recommend visiting https://zamathome.com/ where you can find all types of pillows recommended by physiotherapists.