By Ashley Dykes
Ever wake up with a stiff neck? Or have pain when you turn it to look both ways when making a left turn? There are a few reasons why this happens, and it can be fairly simple to help with the pain or make it go away! It’s rare for neck pain to be a symptom of a serious problem, so take a look!
Here are main causes of neck pain:
1. The position you sleep in at night. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst. If you sleep with your neck turned all night, or even a good portion of it, you can have tightness in one side of your neck or a get a headache. This is caused from one side of your neck muscles being elongated/stretched and the other side being shortened.
2. Poor posture is another contributor to neck pain. Sitting at a computer for hours while hunching over without taking a break to stretch or move around. Along with neck pain, this can also cause headaches and your joints suffer from it to!
3. Dehydration. Most people don’t realize the importance of being hydrated. Heck, most people don’t even know how much water they need to drink to keep hydrated. For those of you that don’t know, it’s half your body weight in ounces per day; that is, if you don’t drink soda or coffee. If you do drink soda like most people, drink half your body weight in ounces plus how many ounces of soda you drank.
Here’s some ways to help or get rid of the pain:
1. Stretching. Sit or stand comfortably with your spine aligned and place your right hand on the left side of your head, then pull down slowly until you feel a stretch. Hold it for 30 seconds to really get those muscles stretched and loosened. Do the same to the other side of your neck.
2. Drink more water! I know you probably get told this a lot, but it’s really important! Water flushes out all the yuck in your body. Remember, your body is made up of about 60% water, blood is about 90%, and your muscles and brain are about 75%. If you think about it, how can your body even function without water? The truth is, it can’t… and if you don’t drink water, your body will suffer from it in many ways such as aches and pains, digestion problems, and lower functioning of your organs.
3. Change your sleeping position. If you sleep on your stomach, try laying on your back with your spine aligned and your neck in neutral with a pillow under your knees to take pressure off your lower back. If you sleep on your side, switch sides every once in a while so your body is more balanced and put a pillow between your knees; after all, that’s what it yearns for and if you don’t do it, your body will compensate 
by being more tense on one side than the other.
Challenge: If you suffer from neck pain, try 1 or all of these out and tell me your thoughts! If you already do these, tell us how it helps.4. Fix your posture while sitting. Your joints suffer greatly from sitting at a computer for hours at a time, even if you have good posture. Poor posture makes it worse, it decreases blood flow, nerve function, and causes muscle imbalances. Try to get a chair that supports your back, has your knees at as close to a 90 degree angle as possible, and your computer is at eye level with your arms rested comfortably on the arm rests.
Try it and let us know your thoughts! Happy Health!
Resources:
http://www.totalperformancept.com/blog/tag/stomach-sleeping/
http://www.chemcraft.net/wbody.html
http://www.physiofusion.com.au/physiotherapy/news/NewsArticle.jsp?News_ID=11
love the ideas. I am in the process of trying to change the way I sleep at night. I did not know that drinking water fights off neck pain!! thank you!! another great reason to drink more water.
I do have the tendency to wake up with a little kink in my neck. I also have a lot of back problems. The stretching and changing how I sleep made it a lot better for me when I wake up in the morning. I’m glad that this demonstration really works.
I usually sleep on my back or sides. But I switch all throughout the night. I already drink plenty of kangen water but I still might need to stretch out more prior to and waking up.
coming from a stomach sleeper for all my life (well except when I was a new born) this is very much true my neck has always be stiffed and in pain. I am trying to change my sleeping patterns but so far I still wake up on my stomach.
I am one of those who sleep in their stomach. I knew that it wasn’t the best but I don’t know it was the worst! I did try putting a pillow under my knees to support my back. When I woke up I was off the pillow and on my stomach! So this will have to be something I’ll have to work one for a while! And I caught my self sitting at the computer wrong as I read this! I have a lot to work on!
I have tried these suggestions over the last several months, as I picked them up in class. I have to say I have tried nearly all of them and they definitely help. The only thing I have trouble with is remembering my posture. I know it will help in the long run, but it is much more comfortable to slouch.I am going to try to make a conscious effort to be mindful of my posture.
I, sadly, sleep on my stomach with my arm under my head hugging a pillow, so I suffer from a good deal of neck pain. I have a hard time sleeping on my back, but will try adding a pillow under my knees and see if that helps. I look forward to giving these all a try and see if they will help me.
I actually am having to correct a bad habit now! Like sleeping, my neck stays in one position all night, it does the same thing when I drive long distances. So recently, I have had to correct both of those things to correct my posture!
I need more pillows to keep myself from turning over on my side. I always start out in a good position, then I wake up all twisted and tightened up.
I start sleeping on my side at night but I usually end up in a weird position because unfortunately my two big dogs sleep on the bed as well and they take up most of the space. I also need to start drinking more water. Good article though.
This is great! I am always sleeping in all sorts of strange positions. I get a sore neck quite often. These are some great ways to reduce the pain and what not. Thanks!
These are all excellent ways of taking of your body. Most of us do at least some of these on a regular basis. It is very important to analyze your lifestyle and see where improvements can be made.
every interesting, I did not know that dehydration could be one of the causes of an stiff neck. This I will have to pass along to a few people I know.
I am the same way like Crystal I too sleep on my stomach only with my arms under my stomach. I will go to bed on my back and wake in the morning on my stomach. I believe a way i might can change it up is by the pillow trick just laying them next to my and try to teach my brain to change it up.
I dont really get neck pain, im working on drinking more water and less other stuff. and im always changing my sleep pattern
I completely agree making changes in our daily lives can have a big effect. I use to hate water and now I crave it. I am more conscious of my posture and I even take care to the way I sleep. Love learning something new, thanks for the blog
Okkkaayyy, I have pretty much sucked at all of this lately. Thanks for reminding me to get on track 😛
This is great! I sleep in weird positions. And sometimes have neck problems!
The first thing I usually mention to someone having neck/back issues is to evaluate the way they sleep at night. The best way to sleep for your spine is on your back. If you are a side sleeper, sleep with a pillow between your legs.
Lots of issues to consider here! Is there any health issue that does not have dehydration as a factor? I still occasionally have neck pain, but less than before. I know that I am more aware of my posture, my sleeping position and my water consumption than I have ever been in my life, now that I am a massage therapy student. I am sure these better habits have made a difference! Thanks!
Stretching is a great way to start and end your day. Drinking water lots is also good.