Do you often suffer from neck pain that seems almost impossible to ever get rid of? Have you experienced waking up suffering some pain which is bothering you all day and desrupting you from your daily routine? You are not alone. Many people have to deal with neck pain every single day. What's worse is that most types of neck pain grow worse at night, robbing you of precious sleep and significantly reducing your productivity at work the following day. Well, here's good news for you: There are some simple ways you can get rid of neck pain, especially when sleeping at night, so can sleep peacefully and wake up feeling fresh and well-rested.
1. Avoid slouching and tilting your head when you're reading or working on the computer. This puts your spine in the wrong alignment and causes the kind of neck pain that can disrupt your sleep. In fact, you should remember to maintain proper posture in everything you do during the day, so you don't suffer at night.
2. Perform gentle neck exercises regularly. Doing neck stretching and strengthening exercises at night just before going to bed helps you relax and loosens tense neck muscles, thus helping ensure a good night's rest. Gentle shrugs, head tilts, and neck rotation are some of the best exercises that stretch your neck properly and allow a full range of motion.
3. Heat it up. Apply a heating pad directly on the affected area to relax the muscles and soothe your neck, lulling you into sleep.
4. Keep it cool. If you're not a fan of heat treatment, then use an ice pack instead. Cold works just as well as - maybe even better than - heat for relieving any type of pain.
5. Get a massage. Needless to say, this is a very effective way of loosening up tight muscles and allowing you to relax, so you'll sleep better. If you find massages at your local spa too costly, you can opt for self-massage techniques such as inserting two tennis balls into a tube sock and then rolling them between your back and a wall or floor. Also, you can have your partner massage you neck gentlyby using oil or lotion by simple rubbing your neck using a firm pressure and long and downward strokes. A piece of advice: Consult your doctor before getting a massage if your neck pain has been going on for quite some time.
6. Take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen (NSAID) just before going to bed. Some of these drugs are available over the counter. This will also help ensure that you are able to get a good night's sleep without being bothered by your neck pain.
7. Sleep right. We said earlier that it is important to maintain good posture during the day. Well, it is equally important to sleep in a natural position, keeping your spine in proper alignment so as to relieve neck pain and prevent it from recurring. Don't sleep on your stomach, since it forces your head up.
8. Get proper support. You may want to switch your regular pillow with a neck support pillow to ensure that proper spine alignment is maintained, whether you sleep on your back or on your side, depending on the position that you are most comfortable with.
As you can see, several of your everyday habits can contribute to neck pain. If you've done all eight steps and nothing seems to work, it is best to see your doctor, as your neck pain may be caused by something more serious than stress and muscle strain.
