Waking Up in Pain? Your Sleep Habits May Be to Blame

If you’ve found your way to this article, chances are you’re dealing with aches and pains somewhere in your body. While there are countless factors that can lead to pain and injury, you may not think of the way your sleeping habits as one of them! 

Poor sleep habits over time can lead to chronic pain and even injury to your body. These seemingly harmless issues most commonly afflict our shoulders, necks, and backs. In this article, our M.A.T. specialist, Maurice Harden, shares more about how these three areas can be impacted and how to fix the problem. 

What’s the Healthiest Way to Sleep? 

It is generally agreed that lying on your side, particularly your left side, or on your back are the healthiest ways to get some good shut-eye. Resting on your left side is best for your digestion, preventing acid reflux and promoting the movement of bile. It may also relieve any discomfort in the back or neck. Sleeping on your back can also decrease any strain on your muscles and joints. 

Laying on your front, on the other hand, is considered the worst way to sleep. It can increase digestion problems and congestion as well as possibly worsen any pain. 

Shoulder Issues 

Shoulders are impacted by poor sleeping positions for a variety of reasons. Many people use their arm underneath their head as a pillow, but leaving it in this position for an extended period of time can pinch your rotator cuff. Over time, this could lead to a locking or pinching feeling when you try to straighten your arm.  

Injuries that can be caused by or exacerbated by this sleeping position include: 

• Shoulder Bursitis 

• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis 

Shoulder Bursitis 

Bursitis refers to swelling of the fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between your joints. Lifting heavy objects, overusing your joints, and experiencing direct trauma can result in inflammation of the bursa sac. 

If you sleep on your side and experience this injury, it’s important to avoid creating the same problem on the other side by using the same poor habits while you’re recovering. 

Rotator Cuff Tendonitis  

Tendonitis, or inflammation of the tendons, can occur when your muscles and tendons are overused or misused. You may experience pain in your shoulder and arm when lifting your arm. Sleeping on your back is the best position to avoid rotator cuff tenonitis caused by excess weight on the shoulders. 

Neck Pain 

It’s not uncommon to wake up with a stiff neck if you’re sleeping in bad positions. Many neck injuries are the results of or made worse by laying down the wrong way.  

When you sleep on your neck, your neck may be torqued too far to the left or right and result in hyperextended tendons and ligaments.  

This can then travel down your spine causing tension in the cervical spine and even causing impingement on nerves or the spinal cord.  

If arthritis or bone spurs are involved, this is a recipe for an achy day. Sleep position is one of the first things to address if you’re dealing with neck problems.  

Stiff Neck or Neck Strain  

If you wake up and feel like you can’t hold the weight of your head or turn without shooting pain, there's a chance you’re facing a neck strain.  

Sometimes neck strains are the result of stacking too many pillows for better support beneath the head. This can, unfortunately, backfire and put a strain on your spine if the cervical spine is elevated too high. As a result, when you wake up, you’ll feel stiff and achy.  

Acute Torticollis 

Acute torticollis occurs when muscles in one side of the neck spasm. Because the muscles get stuck in a contracted position, it can feel or even obviously appear that the neck is twisted. While there are many potential contributors to this condition, from viral infections to injury, sleep habits often play a role. Avoid sleeping on your stomach and try to lay down on your back. 

If you sleep with a window open or have a fan pointing towards you, your cervical muscles may spasm and contract. Your neck might become locked in one position, which can feel very scary.  

Fortunately, with proper rehabilitation, acute torticollis will likely go away. If you think you’re suffering from this painful condition, schedule your evaluation with Dynamic Fitness & Rehabilitation ASAP! 

Back Aches 

Since your posture and spine are deeply intertwined, sleep positions are often guilty of causing back pain. If you’re dealing with aches up and down your back, make sure to take a look at your nightly routine. Also, consider what you are sleeping on; how is your mattress? What about your pillow? Ideally, you should replace your mattress every 7 to 8 years and your pillow every 1 to 2 years! But don’t worry, we’re not here to make you feel guilty.  

The following injuries are often caused or worsened by bad sleep habits: 

Bulging Disc  

The discs within your spine are similar to bursa, in that they act as cushions between each vertebra. Each is made of a gelatinous (mostly water) fluid surrounded by cartilage. Sleeping on your stomach can lead to your mattress pushing your spine in the wrong direction, causing degeneration of your discs. This may lead to pain, spasms, and shooting nerve pain.  

Sciatica  

If you suffer from Sciatica, you will likely experience worse pain at night. When you lay down, the fluid within your discs will go in the direction of gravity. If you sleep on the side with the herniation or disc bulge, it will likely grow larger because of the increased fluid and pressure.  

Come visit us at Dynamic Fitness & Rehabilitation if you think you may be dealing with these kinds of spinal issues. We will let you know the best steps to take and evaluate if you should consult a spine specialist. 

Learn More > Stress & the Skeletomuscular System 

Relieve Tight Muscles to Sleep Tight with Dynamic Fitness & Rehabilitation 

Muscle or joint pain of any kind is no joke and, in many cases, it won’t improve unless we change our habits. Rest assured that hope is not lost! The body has powerful abilities to heal itself when we give it the right conditions. This means learning how to sleep, eat, think, and move in a more functional manner will help you see progress.  

If you are dealing with pain of any kind, visit our team of experts at Dynamic Fitness & Rehabilitation. We will help you get on track so you have less pain and more vitality! Book your evaluation online or call (813) 422-5671.