How can I sleep better with shoulder pain?

Difficulty sleeping is one of the more common complaints in individuals with shoulder pain. Staying rolled over on your painful shoulder for prolonged periods of time sometimes results in pain that can keep you up or wake you up. Below are a couple of things you can do to help improve your sleep when it is impacted by your shoulder pain:

1) Use heat or ice just before going to bed.

2) Take over-the-counter pain relieving medication about 30 minutes before going to bed.

3) If you have to sleep on your side, try rolling backwards just a little bit so that the pressure is more towards the back of your shoulder instead of the side of your shoulder.

4) Sleep in a recliner for a night or two or use several pillows to prop up your upper body. Be mindful that this may make other parts of your body uncomfortable and may not be sustainable long-term.

5) If you find yourself subconsciously rolling over onto your painful side in the middle of the night, try propping up several pillows on your painful side to prevent yourself from rolling over during the middle of sleep.

6) Consider your shoulder blade position - sometimes your shoulders that are ‘shrugged’ too far forward can result in discomfort and finding a neutral position for your shoulder blades may result in more comfort.

7) Try a new pillow

Hope these tips help you enjoy more z’s!