How To Get Better Sleep If You Have Neck Pain

If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep because of neck pain, it can feel like you can’t get any relief. 70% of people with regular neck ache get poor quality sleep. So you’re not alone and that’s why we wrote this blog to help.

This poor sleep is incredibly frustrating and can lead to tiredness and exhaustion during the day. And you can feel like you run out of batteries before you should. This results in poor focus and concentration at work and in your daily tasks around the house.

For some of our patients, prolonged neck pain and poor sleep can lead to other issues such as low mood, headaches, dizziness and not being able to enjoy things like playing with the grandchildren.

Here’s the good news, there’s lots of simple things you can do to improve this, we’ll chat you though how pillows mattresses and how research shows some sleeping positions are better than others for dealing with neck pain.

This blog is going to focus on simple ways you can improve your quality of sleep if you are suffering from neck pain.

Easy tips for improving sleep.

sleeping on your side

While on your side the ideal position to take the strain off an achy neck is to have the right height of pillow to keep you in neutral alignment.

Too much pillow height and your head is propped up too high.

Too low pillow height and your neck will be side flexed towards the mattress.

Pro tip – you can roll a towel and insert it along the long side of the pillow. This will add a little bulk to the end of the pillow near your neck and help give your neck the support it needs to be comfy.

sleeping on your back

This is the second most common sleeping position. Most people with pain find this position quite comfortable. Some research suggests that in this position having your hand resting on your chest takes the most strain off your neck as your arms are supported.

It’s worth making sure your pillow is low enough to support your neck as well as your head.

Avoid sleeping on your front

Stomach sleeping with your head facing one side can be the most irritating sleeping position for your neck. Front sleeping can limit your recovery from pain.

We see persistent neck pain with many front sleepers in clinic and research wise they find the same, front sleepers report the greatest amount of neck pain during the day so if possible try an alternative sleeping position, such as side or back, to improve your neck pain in bed.

consider a new mattress

Having the correct type of mattress to sleep on is a crucial step to achieving better sleep even though you have neck pain.

A mattress you sink into can leave your body low down relative to your head. This can cause neck discomfort throughout the night.

While a mattress that’s too firm can be hard to get comfortable on.

The ideal mattress choice for people who have neck pain is often medium-firm mattress. But it’s always worth trying one out first.

consider a new pillow

Your pillow supports your head for 8 hours a day, so you deserve a comfy one. A pillow that is not too soft, but just firm enough to give you the support you need to take the stain off your neck.

reducing neck pain

What Can You Do To Help Reduce Neck Pain?

Exercise and Stretch

Neck movements, stretches and shoulder rolls and other gentle exercises can help relieve neck pain and tension and nagging neck pain. If possible, these movements can be performed for a couple of minutes before bed. A good physiotherapist can assess you to provide targeted exercises for your specific areas of tightness and pain.

Reduce Stress

Stress often plays a role in neck pain, and with our busy lives we can’t just knock stress off like a switch. Getting enough sleep, going out for walks during the day and breathing techniques before bed or relaxing stretching exercises can relieve some stress and reduce tension in the neck.

If your neck is causing you issues and interrupting your sleep and adding to your stress. You can book a free telephone consultation with one of our physiotherapists where you can ask the questions you have about your neck pain and find out what your best options are.

At Glossop Physio we have a clinic based in the heart of Glossop on Norfolk Square, and we offer free physiotherapy consultations, where you get to sit down with a member of our team. Get answers to the questions you have and find out what can be done to help you move and feel better.

When you are ready just give us a call on 07517421800 to organise your free consultation. Or if you like to do things online you can start organising your free consultation by filling out our webform Click Here