If your neck bothers you when trying to sleep, consider these tips.
Back sleepers may prefer a thin pillow to keep the cervical spine more naturally aligned and supported throughout the night. A thicker pillow might raise the head too far while sleeping on your back.
Side sleepers are advised to use a thicker pillow to keep the head elevated enough to remain centered between the shoulders. Your ideal pillow height may depend on your size and shoulder width.
Stomach sleepers place the most stress on the cervical spine. If you’re unable to get out of the habit of sleeping on your stomach, try an ultra-thin pillow or even no pillow to reduce stress on the cervical spine.
Many people spend time at night browsing their phone shortly before bed, or even in bed. Here are two reasons to break this habit.
Looking down at a phone, especially for long periods of time, puts extra stress on the neck that may lead to pain.
The blue light emitted by your phone can delay the production of melatonin, which is a hormone needed for sleep.
If you must check your phone shortly before bedtime, try to hold the screen up closer to eye level and limit use to a few minutes.
If your neck muscles have tightened or become sore during the day, some light stretching before bedtime may help. Here are a few ideas to try include: Gentle range of motion exercises, chin tucks, levator scapulae stretch.
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