What To Do If Pain Is The Reason You’re Not Sleeping Well

Is pain during the night making you toss and turn and wake up each morning feeling less than refreshed? No one should have to learn how to sleep with lower back pain, or any other kind of pain! Even minor body aches can interfere with sleep. If you're wondering what might be keeping you awake at night, use these tips to help figure out the cause of your pain and manage it so you can get some rest.

 

Identifying and Understanding the Source of Your Pain

 

Sleeping with Lower Back Pain

Back pain can have a variety of causes, including a muscle or ligament strain from heavy lifting, acute or chronic lower back pain, and medical conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease or scoliosis.¹ Acute back pain that lasts fewer than six weeks may be due to an injury, a fall, or strenuous activity, while chronic back pain can last for 12 weeks or more.¹ Both types of back pain can be affected by your sleep position, which impacts the alignment and natural curvature of your spine.² Learn how to sleep with lower back pain by sleeping on your side with your knees partially bent, or by sleeping on your back.²

 

Headaches Can Keep You Awake

There are many types of headaches, and they may affect you as a sharp pain, a throbbing sensation or a dull ache.³ A throbbing, intense migraine can last anywhere from four to 72 hours and may include symptoms like sensitivity to light, sounds, smells, and touch, nausea and vomiting, and weakness or numbness.⁴ Possible headache causes include alcohol (particularly red wine), certain processed foods , poor posture and stress^.5 However, missing sleep or getting too much sleep can be a migraine trigger, so it’s important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.⁵

 

Neck Pain from Sleeping

Experiencing neck pain while sleeping might be caused by the way or position that you're sleeping at night.⁶ Side and back sleeping positions are often the most comfortable for those suffering from neck pain.⁶ Choose a rounded pillow that supports the natural curve of your neck, such as a feather or memory foam pillow.⁶ Avoid using a pillow that's too stiff or too high because that could be causing your neck to flex at night and causing pain and stiffness in the morning.⁶ If you sleep on your side, use a pillow that is higher under your neck than your head, in order to keep your neck and spine aligned.⁶ And if you're a frequent traveler, invest in a horseshoe-shaped neck pillow that can prevent your head from drooping to the side.⁶

 

Joint and Shoulder Pain from Sleeping

Joint pain can encompass everything from your shoulders to hips, knees, and extremities like your hands and feet.⁷ There are dozens of potential causes of joint pain such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sprains and strains, and more.⁷ Joint pain can disrupt your sleep—which is why experts recommend sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs.⁸

However, if you’re experiencing shoulder or hip pain, sleeping on your side might exacerbate your symptoms.⁸ Side sleeping puts pressure on the hips, so it’s advised to sleep on your back with a pillow between your knees or slightly behind your back.¹¹ This keep your hips aligned and helps to relieve pressure.¹¹ For shoulder pain, try wrapping your arm in a bandage or wearing a sling to bed, which will keep prevent you from sleeping with your arm in an awkward position.⁸

Lastly, see a doctor urgently if your joint pain is stopping you doing normal activities or affecting your sleep, the pain is getting worse, or if it keeps coming back after two or three weeks.^7,8

 

Other Pain Keeping You Up at Night

There are plenty of other reasons that you may be experiencing pain. For instance, women might notice lower abdominal pain related to menstrual cramps.⁹ When you're getting back into exercise again after a hiatus, or if you worked out especially hard, you might develop sore muscles.¹⁰ An illness like the flu can also make you feel achy all over.¹⁰ You may need to consider lifestyle changes, whether you need to replace home goods like pillows and mattresses, change your sleeping position, or incorporate stretches into your daily routine.⁸

 

What You Can Do to Find Nighttime Pain Relief

It's always a good idea to see your doctor whenever you experience pain symptoms , especially if it worsens or occurs most mornings.² A physician can help you figure out the root cause of the problem and come up with a treatment plan such as physical therapy.² Consider asking your doctor about taking an over-the-counter medication like Advil PM Liqui-Gels Minis, which combines one of the most used pain relievers & sleep aids in one powerful dose, so you can say goodnight to pain and good morning to fast pain relief and 8 hours of restful sleep.

 

SOURCES

1. Best Sleeping Position for Back Pain. National Council on Aging. https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/sleep/sleeping-position-for-back-pain/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
2. Why Your Lower Back Pain Is Worse in the Morning (and What To Do About It).  Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/lower-back-pain-in-the-morning/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
3. Headache: Causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/headache/basics/causes/sym-20050800/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
4. Migraine: Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
5. Migraine: Diagnosis and treatment. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20360207/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
6. Say "good night" to neck pain. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/say-good-night-to-neck-pain/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
7. Joint Pain. National Health Service. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/joint-pain/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
8. How To Keep Sore Hips, Knees and Shoulders From Ruining Your Sleep. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-keep-sore-hips-knees-shoulders-from-ruining-your-sleep/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
9. Menstrual cramps. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menstrual-cramps/symptoms-causes/syc-20374938/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
10. Myalgia (Muscle Pain). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/myalgia-muscle-pain/. Accessed 2/19/2025.
11. Hip Pain at Night? Arthritis Foundation. https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/causes-and-treatments-for-nighttime-hip-pain/. Addressed 2/21/2025.