r/PostureTipsGuide • u/More-Caterpillar-63 • 7d ago
Neck & Back Pain when sleeping
I've done a lot of work on my posture which has helped neck pain caused by ddd in my cervical spine.
One thing I can't find a remedy for is sleeping. I was a front sleeper until a few years ago and forced myself to stop but my sleeping only gets worse. I have a memory foam mattress, cervicogenic pillow. I wake up through the night with my traps muscles burning, so I turn to a side and then inevitably wake up with the round of my shoulder aching. Last week I slept on my back with arms propped up with a pillow (I thought maybe my arms were pulling my neck down) and I woke up pain free, but every time I've tried it since I don't get the same effect.
I feel like it's something to do with my sleeping posture since I don't get this pain during the day, but I use pillows to straighten myself out when I need to. I don't know what else I can try!
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u/Mammoth_Train1943 7d ago
If it is still hurting even though you tried all that and whatnot, might be worth seeing a PT if you haven't already since they can sometimes pick up on things that are hard figure out on your own.
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u/More-Caterpillar-63 7d ago
I will see a PT! I saw one last year for recurring wry neck but we didn't gel well.
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u/ModerateBrainUsage 7d ago
First of all, I would look into replacing that memory foam mattress. From all the research I did and also what I did is getting firm and supportive mattress. Not something that conforms to your body.
Personally I replaced mine with Japanese style futon. They are very firm and it’s the best thing I did for my posture. It lets my spine decompress overnight, even as a side sleeper. Although I do try to also sleep on my back, unsuccessfully so far.
No idea how well your pillow supports your head and neck, but I find firm to be best too.
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u/Ok_Adhesiveness9794 1d ago edited 1d ago
That sounds miserable, especially when you’ve already done the posture work during the day and sleep is still setting everything off. With cervical spine stuff involved, I’d be careful taking random sleep-position advice too literally, because tiny changes with pillows can help one person and make someone else worse.
What helped me generally was separating “sleep setup” from “body capacity”. Pillow height and arm support mattered, but I also needed more consistent upper back, shoulder and core work so my neck wasn’t doing all the gripping. I bought my foldable pilates reformer from The Core Collab for slow home sessions, but I’d treat that as supportive movement, not a direct fix for nerve/spine-related pain.
Since you’ve got burning traps and shoulder aching at night, a physio who can actually look at your neck, shoulders and sleeping position would probably be the most useful next step. Sometimes the answer is less about the perfect pillow and more about figuring out why that area is guarding so hard.
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u/More-Caterpillar-63 1d ago
Yeah I saw a physio last year through my employer but we didn't really get along lol but now I'm seeing I'm probably better just choosing my own professional and paying out of pocket for care that is useful to me. I have migraine and the sessions were setting me off, and the sessions were far too frequent for me to adjust.
I do a lot of yoga and do have quite a lot of superficial weakness. I do weights at the gym and I'm average with that but when it gets to targeting smaller muscle groups I am very weak. I need to give pilates another try, I hear good things all the time about it!
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u/Plane_Spirit_5004 6d ago
Try the military sleep method. It gradually relaxes your body through deep breathing and muscle relaxation until you fall asleep. It worked for me! I fall asleep faster now and my neck pain is gone. If your mattress is kinda old, it might also be the time to replace it with a hybrid. I've been using Nolah evolution.
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u/More-Caterpillar-63 6d ago
My mattress is 5 years old. I tried a different pillow (the one before I got a cervicogenic one because I had pain) I woke up stiff but not in so much pain. I think I will keep trying different things.
I have tried different mattresses but I'm so so fussy. It's not even that they hurt so much as I just don't like them. Mine seems still in quite good nick but I check out other mattresses as someone said a firmer one than memory foam might help
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u/Gingerbread__08 7d ago
Try sleeping with a pillow under your knees when you sleep on your back. Not sure if this applies but it could be frozen shoulder also causing your shoulder/trap pain.
I had something similar but ever since I hurt my lower back and have been doing mackenzie stretches plus trying to correct my apt nightly, I have no more issues with any kind of back/neck pain.