Among many patients with pain in the neck and or back, one of the most common complaints is the inability to sleep well do to pain.  This can be a significant problem for many reasons.  The obvious problem is the lack of sleep greatly affects how we function during the day.  The less obvious problem is the spine does most of it’s healing from everyday stresses at night when the disc and joints are unloaded.  Without this healing time, symptoms may increase significantly.  Therefore without proper rest and sleeping posture, spinal pain may worsen and may become a vicious cycle.

The best solution to breaking this cycle of pain and sleep loss is trying to maintain a neutral spine when sleeping.  A neutral spine allows the disc and joints to unload so they can heal and receive nutrients.  Avoiding rotation while sleeping also takes unwanted stress off the discs and joints.

The best sleeping position is side lying with a pillow support between the arms and legs.  To keep your back in neutral, you need to keep your hips and knees bend forward 60-90 degrees.  Lying on your back is also a good position if you have pillow support underneath your knees.  Lying on your stomach is not recommended because it puts your back into increased extension (or archs your low back).  If you can only sleep on your stomach, use a cervical pillow under your hips and stomach to keep your low back as neutral as possible with one pillow under your head.

It may take time to sleep in a neutral position with pillow support but you should see an improvement in neck and back stiffness once you have done it consistently.