Morning Neck Pain And Numbness

Waking up every morning with symptoms of neck pain and numbness are well-known among many people. While a sore neck and body weakness can commonly occur during sleep, an individual doesn’t have to live daily with these symptoms and several lifestyle changes can help.

Foremost, it’s important to evaluate the individual’s sleeping posture. For people who prefer to sleep on their back, using a pillow with support under the neck, or neck roll, can help. The bigger bulk of the pillow should not be under the head. For people who prefer to sleep on their side, a using a thicker pillow will help maintain the head in like with the neck. Using feather pillows to sleep on which tend to become flat during the night or thin foam pillows are not suitable options to avoid waking up with neck pain and other symptoms. In doing so, the body spends the extended amount of time throughout the night in a posture where the head is tilted toward the bed, causing the impingement of the nerves that exit the spine. This is often the major cause for neck pain and numbness in the morning.

Furthermore, many people usually read at night before going to bed. It’s an activity used to conclude the day and help relax the body to fall asleep but, the posture used during this nighttime ritual can also strain the neck and lead to symptoms of pain and numbness. For those who enjoy reading books before bed, or even other activities which result in an improper posture, there are various accessories which can help hold books or electronics in a specific angle to avoid bad posture and prevent the head from constantly looking down.

And last, an individual experiencing neck pain, numbness, or in some cases headaches, could have an undiagnosed condition. Spine complications, muscular imbalances, and injury are several underlying problems that could cause these symptoms. Spending an extended amount of time on devices such as laptops, phones, and tablets, can also be factors pertaining to neck pain. Taking the necessary precautions and seeing a doctor for any condition affecting your health is essential if you wish to alleviate the pain and discomfort in your neck when waking up.

Changing bad habits that cause an improper posture and seeing a chiropractor to treat neck misalignments among other conditions is important in order to correct any damage from an improper sleeping position.

By Dr. Alex Jimenez

For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.

Chiropractic Clinic Extra: Neck Pain Treatment