Neck pain after sleeping?
Many of us will experience neck pain at some point in our lives, but it can often be difficult to determine the cause. For some, it seems the position they’re sleeping in may aggravate their pain. Different people prefer different sleeping positions. Some prefer sleeping on their backs (and often get nudged in the ribs by their partner due to their snoring!), some prefer side sleeping, others on their stomach.
We commonly see people complaining of neck pain after sleeping on their stomach. This is because when laying face down, we have to turn our head to one side to allow us to breathe properly! For some, stomach sleeping may be comfortable and cause no problems whatsoever however; for many people, especially those with underlying joint restriction or muscle tension, this prolonged position in rotation may cause further aggravation of their condition, resulting in pain and restricted movement.
If you do find yourself waking up with neck pain and restricted movement after waking up on your stomach, you might like to try some of these methods to encourage you into a different sleeping position.
• Try to fall asleep on your side or back
• Set up extra pillows around you that will prevent you from completely rolling onto
your front
• If you do wake up on your front, roll back onto your back or side straight away
Sometimes a different pillow also helps. Some pillows like contour-shaped pillows are
designed for sleeping on your side. These pillows promote a “neutral spine” during sleep, keeping your head, neck and upper back in a relatively straight line.
We strongly encourage you to change your pillow every 2years, as this helps the pillow maintain it’s shape and support when it’s getting used each night.
For more information, come past the clinic and have a look at the Complete Sleeper Contour pillows we use, are happy to recommend and sell.
