Tips and Tricks: Sleeping With Neck Pain

Neck pain from sleeping can be caused by a few different things. The good news? There are ways to fix it. Image from Harvard Health.

The position that your body takes while you're sleeping may not be top of mind. After all, most of us fall asleep in one position and wake up in another. Why give thought to something that isn’t in your control anyways?

Believe it or not, this is not the right attitude to take when it comes to sleep position - especially if you suffer from body aches and pains such as neck pain. In fact, both the position you sleep in and the type of pillow you use can have a big impact on how your body feels the next day. Read on to learn why stiff necks happen while sleeping and what the best sleep tricks are to reduce neck pain. 

What Causes a Stiff Neck or Neck Pain While Sleeping?

There are a few different causes of neck pain while you sleep, including:

• Sleeping at an awkward angle

• Lack of neck support

• Jerking or sudden movements while you sleep

• Sleeping with a preexisting condition or injury

Sleeping for a long period of time at an awkward angle or with an odd head tilt.

Muscles, joints and ligaments can stretch and even overextend if held at awkward angles for long periods of time. They settle into an unusual position and the next morning when you go to move, it feels painful. If your head is sitting too low or too high while you sleep, a stiff neck can be felt the next morning. 

A lack of neck support.

A mattress that is too firm or a pillow that is too soft can offer little or no neck support. Sleep is supposed to be a time for our muscles and joints to relax and recover after a long day. Awkward angles and unsupportive sleep situations can do the opposite. 

Sudden Movement or Jerking While Sleeping.

Something that is a little harder to control while sleeping are the movements our bodies make while we sleep - while we dream in particular. Jerking suddenly or movement while sleeping can strain neck or shoulder muscles and help cause neck pain. This movement can have a bigger impact if the support mentioned above isn’t there. 

Preexisting condition or injury.

Pulled ligaments, tight shoulder muscles, whiplash or any type of head injury can add pressure to the head, neck and shoulders. Sleeping could aggravate this pain by making your body immobile for long periods of time. Muscles loosen up with use so waking up after sleeping can leave the muscles feeling stiff and sore. If you believe that morning neck pain could be caused by a pre existing injury or condition, speak to your doctor and let them know that sleep is making it worse. 

Preventing Neck Pain While Sleeping

There are a few ways to help prevent and control neck pain while sleeping.

1) Sleep with your neck straight

Certain positions can bend or twist your neck in an uncomfortable way. Front sleepers, for example, often have their head bent one way or the other which can stretch and pull on neck muscles and ligaments. Sleeping on your back with a straight spine and neck or sleeping on your side with proper support are the best positions for neck pain. 

The goal of these positions are to reduce that prolonged strain or pulling on muscles by encouraging your body to sleep in a neutral and relaxed position.

2) Update Your Pillow

Pillows that are too high or too low can impact the strain on your neck and shoulder muscles. A nice supportive pillow that helps to maintain a neutral spine and neck position can reduce neck pain. Memory foam pillows are firm but soft enough to reduce pressure points and this is one of the reasons they’ve become so popular. They offer support without being too fluffy or giving. For side sleeping there are actual pillows that are designed to provide additional neck support with a comfortable resting place for the shoulder. If you sleep on your side, these might be of interest to you.

Pillows should be replaced every 1 - 2 years. If it’s been a while since you’ve purchased a new pillow and you are experiencing neck pain it could be that your pillow has gone flat and isn’t offering that support. Aside from support, replacing pillows is important to keep them free of dirt and oil that comes off your skin and hair as well as micro bacteria and allergens such as dust mites, fungus and pet dander. 

3) Stretch Before (and After) Bed

Simple neck rolls and shoulder stretches in bed before going to sleep can help alleviate any residual stress or tension from the previous day. Going to bed relaxed can reduce the risk of tight muscles or stress while you sleep. If you’re experiencing neck pain every single day, you should look at what could be causing it and eliminate it at the source. Improper work setups, posture, dehydration or immobility throughout the day could all contribute to stiff muscles and then morning neck pain. At the end of the day, how your body feels can seriously impact how you sleep. 

Consider adding stretching to your sleep routine.

5 Tips For Sleeping With Neck Pain

If you are suffering from neck or shoulder pain already, here are the best tips for sleeping and relaxing.

1) Sleep on your back and side

This is the best way to keep your neck straight while you sleep. Twisting or turning for 8+ hours can aggravate neck pain that is already there. If you find it hard to get comfortable to sleep and can only really sleep on your stomach, consider getting a body pillow or you may even need a different type of mattress.

2) Ice and heat before bed

Depending on the type of neck pain, you may want to heat or ice it before bed.

Ice is good for:

• swelling or join pain

• the first 72 hours after an injury

• should be repeated 4-5 times in a day

• sudden, acute injury like bumps, falls, blows or twists

Heat is good for:

• Muscle and soft tissue injury

• more than 72 hours after an injury

• use to relax tension and muscles

So, if you hurt your neck that day or the previous 2 days, you may want to ice it to reduce swelling and make sleep easier at night. After that, you can use heat to lesson tension and relax neck muscles before going to sleep.

These steps can reduce pain enough to let you get a good night sleep. Since sleep is when our bodies heal, it is an important aspect in healing those neck injuries.

3) Use a thin pillow

While soft, thick pillows can help support your neck to prevent pain, thin pillows encourage your body to sleep in the natural flow of your spine and prevent neck tension while you sleep You still want a little bit of support but nothing that will contract your muscles.

4) Take care during the day

If you want to sleep with neck pain at night, take steps during the day to reduce the pain and treat the injury. Massage, anti inflammatory medications, heat and ice, etc can all be used during they day so you’re not in pain at night.

5) Move slow in the morning

If you’re already suffering from neck pain, it will most likely be worse when you first wake up. As you move about during the day and use the muscles, they can relax.

So, when you first wake up, MOVE SLOW. Any jerks or quick movements can aggravate the injury further.

The Best Pillow for Neck Pain

As a general rule, a pillow that keeps your spine straight and neck supported is the best pillow to sleep with neck pain and to prevent neck injury while you sleep.

Memory foam pillows, body pillows and thinner pillows are great for this.

Memory Foam Pillows

A 2020 study found that latex and memory foam pillows are actually the BEST pillows for you if you have neck pain. There are pillow shaped to cup under your chin into your neck for extra support and to prevent any weird angles while you sleep.

Body Pillows

One of the worst positions for sleeping is on your stomach - especially for those who are susceptible to neck pain. Sleeping on your stomach will turn and rotate your neck at a weird angle. Sleeping with a body pillow - hugging one against you especially - provides extra support in the front to stop you from rolling onto your stomach while you sleep.

You can use a body pillow in addition to your regular pillow.

If you’re likely to fall asleep on your back and wake up on your stomach, a body pillow could be perfect for you.

Thin Pillows

Big fluffy pillows can be comfortable but that added “softness” can actually lift your neck into an unnatural angle. Sleeping for 8 hours in a head tilt can seise up your muscles. Thinner pillows preserve the natural shape of your spine. Ideally, you want your spine to be in as natural of a position as possible while you sleep.

The Morning After: Next Steps for Neck Pain

Depending on how long you’ve been experiencing neck pain from sleeping, it may take a few days to feel relief after making changes to your sleep situation.

If you are feeling stiff in the neck and shoulders when you wake up in the morning, you can try heating pads, stretching and slowly warming up your muscles before getting on with your day. 

Neck Pain and Sleep

Unfortunately, “sleeping funny” will be a symptom we all experience in our lives. Morning neck pain happens - maybe more often than it should. If you experience a stiff or sore neck in the mornings more often than not, these tips and tricks can help reduce that pain and provide you with a better night’s sleep. If you make these changes and, after a few weeks, still are not seeing results you should speak to your doctor and make sure a more serious sprain or strain has not happened. 

By updating your pillow, adjusting your sleep position and taking time to relax your muscles before bed you can seriously impact how you feel when you wake up the next morning.