Change How You Sleep to Reduce Neck Pain
By Lana Bandoim
Neck pain can affect the quality of your life. It can interfere with the ability to concentrate at work and make it impossible to play sports. It can make simple tasks painful and force you to ask for help. However, you may be able to find relief by changing how you sleep and visiting The Joint.
Change the Sleeping Position
Instead of sleeping on your stomach, sleep on your back or side. This gives your neck more support from the pillows and reduces pressure. Sleeping on your back is the best option because it can reduce pain and allow the spine to relax. On the other hand, sleeping on your stomach is the worst option because it increases the stress on your neck.
Change the Pillows
Firm or extra firm pillows can reduce neck pain. They provide more support so the neck does not have to bend as much while asleep. In addition, feather pillows are easy to manipulate; they change their shape to fit your body. However, some people prefer memory foam pillows for neck pain because they can improve spinal alignment.
It is not enough to buy quality pillows for your neck; they must be changed frequently. Even the best pillows will lose their firmness and shape over time, so you have to replace them.
Add More Pillows
If you change your sleep position multiple times during the night, you may end up resting your head on the mattress. If you are an active sleeper who moves around and kicks things, you may even knock the pillows off the bed. It is important to invest in multiple pillows so your neck always has support.
Focus on More Sleep
Do you wake up several times at night to eat everything in the refrigerator or fight with your spouse? Do nightmares and stress interrupt your sleep? Sleep interruptions can increase your neck pain. Your body requires sleep to restore cells and heal injuries. When you are not getting enough sleep, you are not giving the body a chance to heal.
Instead of begging your child to pick up something from the floor because you cannot look down or move your neck, change how you sleep and see a chiropractor. You can visit The Joint and get chiropractic care that may help reduce neck pain. You do not need an appointment to visit a convenient location, and you can take advantage of their extended and weekend hours.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.