Sleep should be energizing and rejuvenating, but it is quite unfortunate that a lot of people wake up with a stiff neck. Getting adequate and quality sleep helps to boost the mood, banish eye bags, benefits the heart and makes you feel better. One of the primary factors that contributes to pain in the neck is a wrong sleep position. Although there are long term measures to help to eliminate the possibility of neck pain, you can try out some short term solutions, some of which are explained below.
1. Stretch and strengthen the neck
Stretching and strengthening the neck will help to improve flexibility and strength. It also helps effectively to relieve pain. Place your hand on the side of your head and allow some resistance as you push your neck against the hand. Repeat it on the other side of your head and also the front and back. Rotate your head in each direction and front and back, to help stretch it. You can look in a far direction and count for about 10 seconds or for as long as you can, for another variation of the exercise. Repeat on all sides. You can also perform this exercise in fitness centers that have neck machines.
2. Use heat
One of the best ways to allow your muscles relax is to apply heat. Get in the shower and apply heating pads to the stiffed area. Heating pads is a therapy that dilates the blood vessels of the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine, which helps to increase the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and heal damaged tissue.
3. Have a massage
Massaging the neck muscles will warm up tissues and relieve stiffness and pain. You can call a partner or a friend to help you with this, or you do it by yourself. Make use of an essential oil while you massage, to help and increase the effect of the therapy and reduce both muscle stiffness and inflammation. Some of the best essential oils to use include are thyme, rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender and juniper.
To prevent neck pain from sleeping wrong, here are some tips that can help
- Sleep with enough pillows to support your neck
- Take a warm bath before sleeping to help relax your muscles
- Close your windows and don’t be exposed to too much cold, as it can stiffen your neck muscles.
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