Have you gone off to sleep without any neck pain and you woke up the next morning with pain in your neck? You have been sleeping at night and not using your neck muscles as you do in the day. Is it possible that your sleeping position is the cause of your neck pain? Other reasons for neck pain on waking up can also include activities or poor postures that can stress the neck muscles and other structures in the daytime or use of a wrong kind of pillow at night. However a poor sleeping posture is one of the most common reasons for neck pain upon waking up. In this blog we will discuss which sleeping position causes neck pain and how we can change into a better sleeping posture.
Some people sleep on their back or side but some sleep on their stomach. Sleeping on the stomach is a position that can cause neck pain or increase an existing neck pain. When one sleeps on the stomach the neck has be turned to either left or right because it is not possible to breathe with the neck in the midline. This creates a lot of stress around the neck muscles and the cervical spine, thereby causing neck pain. When we sleep all our joints and muscles should be in a neutral position to prevent any stresses from building up on them during the night so we can wake up refreshed and pain free. Try and avoid stomach sleeping, when possible. Exception to this is if you have been told by a doctor to sleep on the stomach due to any surgery or medical condition.
Watch this video (from 6.55 minutes in the video) to learn how you can transition from stomach sleeping to a better sleeping posture, namely side lying and sleeping on your back.
We know that it is ‘easier said than done’ to change your sleeping posture. However any new habit takes at least six weeks to form. If you start off in side lying or on your back but you turn over to your tummy in the night, go easy on yourself and try it again the next night. It might be a good idea to try this change in sleeping posture at nap time and then moving on to night time sleep.
HERE are the pillows that I use and recommend.
If you want to learn more about different conditions that can lead to neck pain you can click HERE to get my free guide to "What is the source of your Neck Pain?"
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