Sleeping is your body’s resting and recovery time. A good night’s sleep is essential for a healthy working body and mind. However, your sleep may not be very effective or relaxing if you have a sore neck when you wake up. Waking up with a pain in the neck can deteriorate your whole day. You may feel irritated, sleepy, and tired all day long. To stop waking up with a neck ache, it important to learn why it is happening. There could be three reasons for having severe neck pain after sleeping.
1. Softness/hardness of pillow
Your pillow may be the first culprit why you feel severe neck pain after sleeping. If your pillow is not level with the rest of your spine, it may not properly support your head and neck, causing you a bad pain. If you use a pillow that is too hard, it can cause your head and neck to bend upward and a downward bend in case of a soft pillow. Both cases place extra strain on the neck muscles and tendons, leading to severe pain after waking up.
2. Nerve compression
Another reason for severe neck pain after sleeping can be nerve compression, which can be a result of several things. One such thing is a swollen neck disc that pushes against a nerve. Bony projections can develop along the edge of the neck vertebra. When grown large, they can irritate the nerves causing severe pain when you are sleeping. Sometimes this pain can become unbearable when you wake up. In some cases, nerve pinching can make it difficult to fall asleep.
3. Neck Injury
Severe pain in the neck after sleeping can also be a result of sports injuries or car accident injuries. To confirm, try to remember the last time you played you favorite spots and got injured.
If you are finding it difficult to sleep due to gruesome neck pain, contact the sleep experts at Sleep & Headache Solutions. We can help you find the right treatment, so once again, you can have a relaxed and restful sleep. To schedule an appointment, call 832-688-8886.