What Causes Neck Pain After You Wake Up

Waking up and having a sore neck is a stressful way to begin your day. It can quickly bring on a distressed mood and make simple actions, like turning your head, unpleasant.

In most cases, a sore neck is caused by a wrong sleeping position, the type of pillow you use, or some other sleep issues. Many of these issues can be resolved, given that you know the right procedure.

We’ll take a closer look at some practices you can do to get rid of your neck pain after waking up.

Causes of a sore neck when you wake up

You may not think much of your sleeping position or the type of pillow you sleep on. However, both your sleeping position and pillow can cause a stiff, sore neck, and can also lead to terrible back pain and other issues.

Studies show that sleeping problems may be at the root of up to 5 percent of chronic pain cases. Many of these factors are manageable, which means that by applying some changes to your sleep routine, you may be able to alleviate your neck pain, as well as other types of pain.

Sleeping position

Everyone sleeps according to their favourite sleeping position. You might as well have a comfortable position that you prefer to cosy up to at night. But if yours is on your abdomen, you are not doing your neck any favours. When you sleep on your stomach, your neck may be twisted awkwardly to one side for several. This puts pressure on your neck muscles and makes them feel stiff and sore after you wake up.

Tummy sleeping can also put a bad for your back, especially if you sleep on a mattress that doesn’t offer good back support. This causes your belly to sink into the bed, putting strain and pressure on the muscles in your back and spine.

Your pillow

You spend many hours every night with your head and neck on your pillow, which is why picking the right one is key to a pain-free, healthy neck. A pillow which does not support your head and neck properly creates tension in your neck muscles, causing pain in the neck.

Read more: Traditional Chinese Medicine From Birth To Today

Memory-foam or feather or pillows allow your head to be “cradled” while you sleep, allowing for a neutral spine and neck posture.

Sudden movement

Sudden movements, like flinging your limbs around in a dream, or sitting up quickly, can affect your neck muscles severely. Moving and frequently turning while trying to sleep, or while you are sleeping, can also create tension and stress in your neck.

Previous injury

Some types of injuries, like sports or whiplash injuries, may not always be painful at first. Sometimes, the full physical effects are only be felt a few days later. In case you were injured in a way that might have hurt your neck, you might go to bed feeling okay, but wake up the next morning with a very sore, stiff neck.