Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesTreatmentSleep PositionsPillowsIf Neck Still Hurts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Treatment
Sleep Positions
Pillows
If Neck Still Hurts
If you have ever “slept wrong” and woken up stiff and sore, you know that sleep posture strongly influences thequality of your sleep. Poor posture when sleeping can lead to neck pain, and you may also have a headache, arm pain, and shoulder blade pain. There are ways to help improve sleep posture for a more restful sleep and a more comfortable morning.
This article will discuss why yourneck may hurtwhen you wake up, how to relieve and prevent neck pain that results from sleeping, the best positions to sleep in to avoid neck pain, what to look for in a pillow, and what to do if your neck pain is persistent.
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Why Your Neck Hurts When You Wake Up
Poor posture, both during the day and at night, can lead to these muscle spasms. Physical and emotional stress, and injuries to the muscle from sport, a motor vehicle accident, or other causes, may also cause neck pain.
Sleeping problems other than posture, such as trouble falling and staying asleep, waking early in the morning, ornon-restorative sleep, can also increase the likelihood of neck pain.
One study of 4,140 people found that compared to the participants who did not have sleep problems, those who reported moderate to severe difficulties with at least three of those four sleep problems were significantly more likely to develop chronic musculoskeletal pain after one year.
This may be due to the disruption of muscle relaxation and healing that typically occurs during sleep and the vicious cycle of pain disrupting sleep and disrupted sleep causing pain.
Other Symptoms You Might Have Upon WakingPay attention to how you feel when you wake up, as it can give you clues to certain health concerns. For example, those with asleep apnea(when breathing stops and starts during the night) may experience symptoms upon wake-up such as:Still feeling tiredafter sleeping a full nightExperiencingdaytime sleepinessor having a lack of energyA sore or dry throat when awakeningMorning headaches
Other Symptoms You Might Have Upon Waking
Pay attention to how you feel when you wake up, as it can give you clues to certain health concerns. For example, those with asleep apnea(when breathing stops and starts during the night) may experience symptoms upon wake-up such as:Still feeling tiredafter sleeping a full nightExperiencingdaytime sleepinessor having a lack of energyA sore or dry throat when awakeningMorning headaches
Pay attention to how you feel when you wake up, as it can give you clues to certain health concerns. For example, those with asleep apnea(when breathing stops and starts during the night) may experience symptoms upon wake-up such as:
How to Get Rid of Neck Pain From Sleep
It is important to take steps to both treat the currentneck pain, and prevent it from happening again. This may include:
Sleep In a Neutral Position
The key to good sleep posture is alignment. Sleeping in a neutral position reduces the strain on your neck and back, helping to prevent pain.
In a neutral position, your ears,shoulders, and hips are as aligned as possible. Some ways to help achieve better alignment include:
Choose the Right Mattress
Choose a mattress that supports the natural curves of your spine and that you find comfortable. You mattress should allow you to wake up feeling rested andwithout pain or soreness.
Other mattress tips include:
Choose the Right Pillow
The right pillow helps to keep your spine in the proper position. When choosing a pillow for your head, look for one that:
Apply Cold or Heat
For the first two days after straining a muscle in your neck, you can applycold compresses, such as a cold pack, ice wrapped in a wet cloth, a frozen towel, or a bag of frozen vegetables. When using cold on your neck:
If your neck is still sore after 48 hours, you can try applying heat to increase blood flow and help improve healing. When applying heat:
Do Gentle Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
Stretching and strengthening exercises can help relieve current neck pain, and prevent neck pain from happening in the future.
Types of exercises you might try include:
Try Medication
If other measures are not bringing you relief from your neck pain, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist usingover-the-counter (OTC) medications (those not requiring a prescription)that might help. These may include:
Never give aspirin to children or teenagers without first checking with your healthcare provider, as doing so has been linked to a rare but serious disorder called Reye’s syndrome.
If OTC medications are still not effective, talk to your healthcare provider about prescription options.
Managing Chronic Neck PainSome things that may help with chronic neck pain include:Physical therapyGood posture (when awake and during sleep)Slow range of motion exercisesEngaging in regular exercise (try for 30 minutes on most days, with stretch breaks throughout the day)Speaking with your healthcare provider
Managing Chronic Neck Pain
Some things that may help with chronic neck pain include:Physical therapyGood posture (when awake and during sleep)Slow range of motion exercisesEngaging in regular exercise (try for 30 minutes on most days, with stretch breaks throughout the day)Speaking with your healthcare provider
Some things that may help with chronic neck pain include:
Sleep Positions With Neck Pain
Sleep position is about more than comfort.
Back
The best sleep position for avoiding neck pain is on your back, although most people find this position too uncomfortable to get a deep sleep.
When sleeping on your back, put a pillow under your head and neck and another one underneath your knees to help with spine alignment.
Side
Side sleeping is a good alternative for those who can’t sleep on their back or who find it too uncomfortable. It also keeps airways open, making it a good position for those withsleep apneaor for people whosnore.
While it is often comfortable to sleep in what is known as the fetal position, with legs curled up, this can make for an uneven distribution of weight and lead to back pain and sore joints. It can also lead to hip pain (hip bursitis) and shoulder pain, including shoulder bursitis.
If you can manage it, try to sleep with your legs straight out in a relaxed position and a pillow tucked between your knees. Untuck your chin as well.
Stomach
Avoid sleeping on your stomach. This position causes you to sleep with your neck turned, which can lead topain in the upper back and neck. It also affects the natural curve of the spine, putting more pressure on the spine’s muscles and joints than other sleeping positions.
How Pillow Texture and Shape Improve Neck Pain
Although it sounds counterintuitive, using your initial perception of comfort to choose a pillow can be misleading and end up causing more neck pain.
While firm pillows can help,avoid pillows that are too stiff or too high, as this can keep the neck flexed leading to pain and stiffness.
Texture matters too. Two options are:
Neck Still Hurts in the Morning
In some cases, neck pain may mean more is at play than strained muscles from poor sleep posture, such asarthritis, acompressed nerve, an infection, or another underlying problem.
Talk to your healthcare provider if your neck pain is:
Your healthcare provider may suggestfurther treatmentor refer you to a specialist such as a:
Summary
Some ways to help include sleeping in a neutral position, choosing the right mattress and pillow, applying cold or heat, doing gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, and taking medication.
Unless you havesleep apnea, are pregnant, or have a condition that prohibits it, the best position to sleep in to help prevent neck pain is on your back, with on your side a good alternative. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Choose a pillow that supports your neck and head and helps keep your spine in alignment. Use additional support pillows as needed, such as under or between your knees.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have additional symptoms that suggest you need immediate medical attention or if your neck pain is severe, persistent, or concerning you.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lee WH, Ko MS.Effect of sleep posture on neck muscle activity.J Phys Ther Sci. 2017;29(6):1021-1024. doi:10.1589/jpts.29.1021Harvard Health.Neck pain: symptoms, causes, & how to relieve it.UpToDate.Patient education: neck pain (beyond the basics).Harvard Health.Say “good night” to neck pain.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Sleep zombie? 10 signs you might have sleep apnea.Keck Medicine of University of Southern California.The best — and worst — sleep positions for back pain.University of Rochester Medical Center.Good sleeping posture helps your back.Seattle Children’s Hospital.Neck pain or stiffness.Mount Sinai.Neck pain.Healthdirect.Neck pain.Ren S, Wong DWC, Yang H, Zhou Y, Lin J, Zhang M.Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex: investigation of the cranio-cervical pressure and cervical spine alignment.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2397. doi:10.7717/peerj.2397MedlinePlus.Neck pain or spasms - self care.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lee WH, Ko MS.Effect of sleep posture on neck muscle activity.J Phys Ther Sci. 2017;29(6):1021-1024. doi:10.1589/jpts.29.1021Harvard Health.Neck pain: symptoms, causes, & how to relieve it.UpToDate.Patient education: neck pain (beyond the basics).Harvard Health.Say “good night” to neck pain.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Sleep zombie? 10 signs you might have sleep apnea.Keck Medicine of University of Southern California.The best — and worst — sleep positions for back pain.University of Rochester Medical Center.Good sleeping posture helps your back.Seattle Children’s Hospital.Neck pain or stiffness.Mount Sinai.Neck pain.Healthdirect.Neck pain.Ren S, Wong DWC, Yang H, Zhou Y, Lin J, Zhang M.Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex: investigation of the cranio-cervical pressure and cervical spine alignment.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2397. doi:10.7717/peerj.2397MedlinePlus.Neck pain or spasms - self care.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Lee WH, Ko MS.Effect of sleep posture on neck muscle activity.J Phys Ther Sci. 2017;29(6):1021-1024. doi:10.1589/jpts.29.1021Harvard Health.Neck pain: symptoms, causes, & how to relieve it.UpToDate.Patient education: neck pain (beyond the basics).Harvard Health.Say “good night” to neck pain.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Sleep zombie? 10 signs you might have sleep apnea.Keck Medicine of University of Southern California.The best — and worst — sleep positions for back pain.University of Rochester Medical Center.Good sleeping posture helps your back.Seattle Children’s Hospital.Neck pain or stiffness.Mount Sinai.Neck pain.Healthdirect.Neck pain.Ren S, Wong DWC, Yang H, Zhou Y, Lin J, Zhang M.Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex: investigation of the cranio-cervical pressure and cervical spine alignment.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2397. doi:10.7717/peerj.2397MedlinePlus.Neck pain or spasms - self care.
Lee WH, Ko MS.Effect of sleep posture on neck muscle activity.J Phys Ther Sci. 2017;29(6):1021-1024. doi:10.1589/jpts.29.1021
Harvard Health.Neck pain: symptoms, causes, & how to relieve it.
UpToDate.Patient education: neck pain (beyond the basics).
Harvard Health.Say “good night” to neck pain.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Sleep zombie? 10 signs you might have sleep apnea.
Keck Medicine of University of Southern California.The best — and worst — sleep positions for back pain.
University of Rochester Medical Center.Good sleeping posture helps your back.
Seattle Children’s Hospital.Neck pain or stiffness.
Mount Sinai.Neck pain.
Healthdirect.Neck pain.
Ren S, Wong DWC, Yang H, Zhou Y, Lin J, Zhang M.Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex: investigation of the cranio-cervical pressure and cervical spine alignment.PeerJ. 2016;4:e2397. doi:10.7717/peerj.2397
MedlinePlus.Neck pain or spasms - self care.
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