#pt question

Hey Nonny, thanks for the question.  Sorry that you get tense while sleeping- that’s supposed to be the relaxing time D:I have some stretches/exercises to recommend, but the first thing I have to stress is that I don’t know what you look like in terms of muscle length or posture or body size, etc., and all of these things effect what I would say if I saw you face-to-face.  Also, this is just answering a straightforward question and does not present itself as telehealth or actual healthcare advice.My first suggestion would be to try to make your sleeping environment as comfortable as possible- not just your bed/mat/etc. but is it dark enough?  Are the ambient sounds the way you like?  Are there stressors that affect you some other way?  As much as depends on you, try to wrangle these things into a situation that works for you :)Second, also consider the height of your pillow.  Regardless of whether you sleep on your side, back, or stomach, if your neck is fixing your neck in a certain position and you stay there for several hours while sleeping, no wonder you might be uncomfortable.  My presumption, based on a few years of observing the human musculoskeletal condition, would be that you might need less pillow?  So you could try a thinner pillow or no pillow at all.  The main point is to find what works for you.

Third, again, going back to the assumption that you have a more forward posture, this stretch is one that you can do to open up your chest and shoulders (and therefore your neck).  

The 45-degree angle is important instead of just going straight up and back (probably uncomfortable) or straight out to the side (useful but not as important as this angle).  This stretch lengthens the pectoralis minor, which is a small muscle that has a tendency to pull your shoulder blade forward as it shortens.  And because, like, 90% of your major neck muscles attach on your shoulder blade, it gets to pulling and hurting them (read the next paragraph for more on that).  

So many muscles in the neck, back, and shoulder, share bony attachments (in the cervical spine, scapulae, and clavicle) and they all pull in separate directions.  If you don’t stretch regularly (and I am guilty as sin for not stretching :| ) the muscles tend to get shortened over time and remain in that posture, pulling you into positions that are not comfortable.  And sleeping in 2-3 positions for however long you sleep counts. 

You’ve probably read somewhere that holding a stretch 3 times, for 30 seconds each attempt is ideal.  That’s true.  Research shows that to affect plastic (AKA permanent) changes in muscle viscoelasticity (AKA muscle’s ability to deform/change shape over time) you have to hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.  Why?  Well, I could tell you because do you really want me to get into discussions of myoglobin and z-formations and all that?  I mean... Ahem, 3 times for the same reasoning as the 30 second “rule.”  Finally, hold the stretch statically, don’t bounce it.  Give the muscle a chance to lengthen.  If you’re “bouncing” or rotating your body into the stretch you might just be deforming your shoulder’s synovial capsule, which is a whole other can of worms.

How “hard” should you hold a stretch?  Just until you feel slight discomfort.  You should never, EVER feel sharp pain with a stretch.  If you release the stretch and you feel any discomfort post stretch, it was probably too much force. 

Last, the “exercise.”  Ahem.  Posture.  Postural correction while awake can do a lot to reduce discomfort in your neck (for the above described reason) and upper back with a long-term effects.  And what is postural control except a long-term muscle contraction?  It takes practice.  My posture is not perfect, but the best way to get there is practice.  Plus, have you ever noticed how put together people with good posture look?  Like, your life could be falling apart, but if you can hold your shoulders correctly, you’ve got a +10 to persuasion.

I’m adding some pictures to fully display what I mean, though I will ask ahead of time that you forgive my sweaty, post-run self:

That left most red line shows what happens to the scapula and upper spine when most people allow themselves to just “relax,” because we’re forward moving creatures, and the design of our musculature gives way to gravity in this direction.  Not to mention computes, smartphones, etc.

Contrast that to this:

And I will tell you, this is not me pulling back the yellow circle.  What I am doing here is completely from the medial border of the scapula:

Shoulder blades ARE what hold your arms back.  Getting in the habit of squeezing here (and my dude, it takes PRACTICE) will relieve neck pain, headaches, and prevent shoulder injuries (discussion for a different time).  The above picture is the start of good posture.  Whereas, the picture below would correspond to that first depiction of rounded shoulders and poor posture:

So.... that is a VERY long answer to give some suggestions for how to sleep better.  You’ll notice that most of them take place for when you are awake!  It seems like a lot, but they are small changes that may have a significant impact on how things go!