Short guide
Sleeping when your back, neck or shoulder hurts
A bad night makes pain feel worse, and pain makes for bad nights. A few changes to how you lie, and to the first hour of the morning, can break that loop.
Find a position that takes the load off
Try these and keep whatever helps. There's no single right way to lie.
- Neck: use a pillow that keeps your head level with the rest of your body, not propped up and not dropping down. Try not to sleep on your front, and avoid twisting your neck to look around in bed.
- Lower back: lie on your side with a pillow between your knees, or on your back with a pillow under your knees. Both take some strain off the lower back.
- Shoulder: lie on the other side and hug a pillow so the sore arm rests on it, or lie on your back with a cushion under that arm.
- Hip: lie on the comfortable side with a pillow between your knees, so the top leg doesn't drop across.
Don't stay in bed
Long spells in bed tend to make back pain stiffer, which is why the NHS advises against staying in bed for long periods. Get up at your usual time and move gently. A few of your easiest exercises before you get dressed can take the edge off morning stiffness.
Help yourself drop off
- Keep to regular times for going to bed and getting up, and wind down for an hour before.
- A warm (not hot) heat pack wrapped in a towel before bed can ease stiffness.
- If you take painkillers, ask a pharmacist about the best timing so they're working through the night.
Pain at night that needs checking
- See a GP if your pain is worse at night and doesn't ease with rest, or wakes you every night.
- See a GP soon if night pain comes with a fever, feeling unwell, or weight loss you can't explain.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have numbness around your genitals or bottom, changes in your bladder or bowels, or weakness or numbness in both legs.
Sources
Turn this into a daily plan
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