What Is the Best Way to Sleep for Neck Pain?

Neck pain is more than a pain in the neck. It can spread upward into the jaw and head or radiate down the neck to shoulders, arms and back. For many people, neck pain disrupts daily activities. By the end of the day, a sufferer hopes a good sleep will relieve aches and ease neck pain. Several sleep methods ease pain and sometimes a combination works for pain-free sleep.

Position

• Sleeping on the side with the neck supported in alignment with the spine helps ease chronic neck pain.

Analgesics

• Pain relievers taken shortly before bedtime help the body relax and relieve painful inflammation in the neck.

Pillow

• An ergonomic or orthopedic neck pillow often has a curve at the neck edge of the pillow. It supports the neck during sleep.

Heat

• A soft, flexible heating pad that shuts off automatically eases neck pain at bedtime. A sock filled with rice or barley and warmed in a microwave can fit into the neck area to loosen taut muscles.

Exercise

• Gentle neck and shoulder exercises just before bedtime frequently relax tight muscles and tendons that cause pain.

Therapy

• Alternative therapies such as massage along the back, neck and shoulders before bedtime may encourage restful sleep that eases neck pain.