Sleep is essential for overall health and well-being, but for those experiencing neck pain, a restful night can seem elusive. This is specially true for executive mums juggling the demands of a high-powered career and the responsibilities of raising young children. Neck pain can often disrupt this much-needed rest, making it challenging to perform at your best. In this blog, lets discuss we'll explore effective strategies for executive moms to manage neck pain and achieve restorative sleep amidst their busy lives.
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. A poor sleeping posture is one of the most common reasons for neck pain upon waking up. 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. 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.
If you are a side sleeper the pillow thickness should be equal to the distance between the tip of your shoulder and your ear lobe. When you sleep on your side, there is a big gap between the tip of your shoulder and the side of our head. A pillow is needed to bridge this gap or else the head tilts excessively to one side. To avoid this you might put your hand under the head. This manages to put the neck in a neutral state but the arm muscles and muscles of the shoulder blade are activated throughout the night and cannot relax, putting an excessive strain on them. This gradually builds up as the nights go by and may lead to other problems such as upper to mid back pain, shoulder stiffness, nerve pain, arm pain, etc. If you are a back sleeper it is recommended that the height of your pillow be equal to the distance between your upper back and the back of your head.
It is also important to be mindful of your neck postures in the daytime as the stresses that build up on the cervical spine in the daytime can manifest as pain and stiffness at night or the next morning. Here is a video on How do you know if you have a good Sitting Posture?
It is important to know that most of the issues leading to neck pain are caused by inflammation. If you want to learn more about how to reduce your inflammation and neck pain you can find the details HERE.
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Note: This page contains affiliate links which will bless me, at no additional cost to you and I will be able to help more people with spine and joint pain.
If you are tired of waking up with a stiff neck and back pain from sleeping on your stomach, it may be time to switch up your sleeping position for a more restful and rejuvenating night's sleep. Changing your sleeping position can be challenging, especially if you're used to sleeping on your stomach. However, making this transition is beneficial for your spinal health and overall well-being. In this blog lets discuss two easy tips to help you transition from tummy sleeping to side or back sleeping ....
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If you wake up with morning stiffness or pain in the neck or back, you may want to examine your sleeping posture. How you sleep will decide the amount of stress that is placed on your spine (back/neck) and joints. A poor sleeping posture can aggravate your existing pain or it can lead to pain and discomfort. When we sleep in a good posture 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. In this blog lets discuss the 3 Sleep Postures to avoid if you want to prevent Spinal (Back/Neck) Pain ...
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Working mum usually have long hours at work with back to back meetings and long work travels. You maybe very mindful about your sitting posture and yet suffer from back or neck pain and morning stiffness. This could be due to a poor sleeping posture. When we sleep in a good posture 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. In this blog lets discuss how to achieve and maintain a good posture when sleeping on your back ...
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As working mums we tend to be very aware about our posture while sitting but we tend to not even think about our sleeping postures. When we sleep in a good posture 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. In this blog lets discuss how to achieve and maintain a good posture while sleeping in side lying position.
If you are a side sleeper then it is vital to have the correct type of pillow. The height of your pillow should be from your ear lobe to the tip of your shoulder. If the height is less your neck will not be in the neutral position but it will be tilted towards the bed. This can lead to pinched nerves in the neck on that side, giving rise to nerve pain and neck & shoulder pain. The same is applicable if the height of the pillow is more than needed. HERE are the pillows that I use and recommend.
Secondly, if you sleep with the top leg crossing over the rest of the body, then use a pillow between the bed and the top leg, such that the thigh of the top leg is parallel to the bed.
If you sleep with your knees stacked on top of each other keep a pillow between your legs. To measure the height of the pillow lie on your back so that your knees are facing the roof and put a pillow between your legs such that the thigh bones are parallel to each other. Using a pillow between your legs when side sleeping puts your pelvis in a neutral position, thus keeping your lower back muscles relaxed and preventing back pain.
Here is video on "How to sleep when you have back and neck pain: 3 tips"
HERE is a free guide on "How can you maintain a Good Posture While Sleeping". It gives you the details of sleeping posture in side lying, back sleeping, 3 postures to avoid when sleeping and how to change to a better sleeping posture and much more.
If you like this blog and want to be notified about new blogs as soon as they are published, subscribe to my mailing list below.
I would love to see you around the internet! For other places you can explore more about me: https://withswati.com/page/link
Note: This page contains affiliate links which will bless me, at no additional cost to you and I will be able to help more people with spine and joint pain.
