Avoid using a pillow that is too high or stiff, as it keeps your neck flexed at night and can cause pain and stiffness in the morning. If you sleep on your side, keep your spine straight by using a pillow that is higher under your neck than your head. For all sleeping positions with neck pain, you should use a pillow under the neck that provides support, such as a rolled towel or cervical pillow. When your neck hurts, it can affect your sleep and cause less energy and more pain.
Here are 3 tips that will help you reduce neck pain and get a better night’s rest. This site is for educational purposes only; no information is intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The information is produced and reviewed by more than 200 medical professionals with the aim of providing reliable and informative information unique to people with painful health conditions. Using pillows to support your arms while sleeping on your side or back can also help reduce tension and pain in your neck.
A person may also try placing a pillow between the knees if he sleeps on his side, or under them if he sleeps on his back, to reduce tension or pressure on the spine. The general rule for a proper pillow is that you should keep your neck parallel to the mattress, rather than bending down or up. If you sleep on your side or on your back with a flat pillow, a second roll or rolled towel under your neck may provide extra support. For side sleepers, placing a thin pillow between the knees also helps keep the spine aligned with the head and neck.
In addition to using treatments to relieve this neck pain, make sure that future sleep includes a good pillow to support the neck. Buckwheat pillows are also cost-effective, have renewable filling and support your neck when you sleep on your side. For side sleepers, placing a firm pillow between the knees helps maintain the natural alignment of the hips, pelvis, and spine. Sleeping in a position that avoids pressing on your neck or shoulders can usually help reduce neck pain and improve sleep.
If you sleep on your stomach, for example, a flat pillow under your stomach might help keep your spine aligned with your head and neck. If you choose this position, the best accompaniment is a horseshoe-shaped pillow to support the neck, such as the one often used on airplane flights. Here is an easy neck lift you can try before bedtime to loosen the levator muscle of the scapula (the muscle that connects the neck to the shoulder blade). The use of pillows and mattresses specially designed for people with neck pain or discomfort can often help reduce neck pain and facilitate sleep.
If you sleep on your back or on your side, you can also benefit from placing a small roll pillow under your neck for extra support or you can simply use a rolled up towel. So how do you differentiate a good sleeping position from one that leaves you with back and neck pain? As mentioned earlier, the most important question to ask yourself when you go to bed at night is “Are my head, neck and spine in a neutral position? If they are, you will most likely wake up with a healthy spine. People who sleep on their backs should ensure that the pillow does not tilt their head forward, but that the head and neck are relaxed.
