Ways To Alleviate Morning Neck Pain
Posted on: 30 December 2020
Have you been waking up with a sore neck? Maybe the back of your neck throbs a little, and perhaps the pain becomes more sharp and localized when you try to turn your head to one side or the other. This type of morning neck pain is pretty common, but as annoying as it can be, there are some pretty simple ways to manage it and minimize it. Take a look:
Don't sleep on your stomach.
You can sleep on your side, or you can sleep on your back — but as someone who has morning neck pain, you should not sleep on your stomach. When most people sleep on their stomachs, they turn their head to one side or the other, and they keep it there for hours on end. This can cause or worsen neck soreness. Switch sleeping positions, and you'll probably notice a dramatic reduction in your morning neck pain. In some cases, it might even go away entirely.
See the chiropractor or doctor.
It's possible that one or more of the vertebrae in your neck are out of alignment and putting strain on the muscles in your neck. When you're up and moving these muscles during the day, they stay loose enough that the pain is not too terrible. But when you stay stationary all night, the muscles tighten up, causing intense neck pain when you wake up. A good way to correct this problem is to see a chiropractor who can realign your spine and relieve the pressure on your muscles, or a doctor who can identify any underlying issues causing the pain. The chiropractor may also administer a few other pain management treatments, such as cold therapy, cold laser therapy, or massage. A doctor, especially a pain management doctor, can prescribe medications, exercises, or referrals to other specialists to help manage symptoms. In many cases, you'll feel a reduction in pain after one appointment, but it will take a couple of appointments, spaced a few weeks apart, for your neck pain to go away completely.
Hold a heating pad against your neck.
A good go-to method for easing morning neck pain is to hold a heating pad against the back of your neck for 5 to 10 minutes. You can keep the heating pad next to your bed and plugged in (but not turned on — that's not safe) so that you can reach for it and use it in the morning before you even get out of bed. As the heating pad works its magic, slowly turn your head from side to side to loosen up the muscles.
Morning neck pain can be quite a nuisance, but with the right sleeping position, help from a chiropractor, and the assistance of a heating pad, you can embrace comfort once again.
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