14 Ways How To Treat Stiff Neck Pain after Sleeping Fast & Naturally

A stiff neck is not really a big problem but may occur to everyone and leave bad effects on the daily activities. It includes some main symptoms like pain, soreness, and difficulty managing the neck, particularly when you try to move your head. It is possible to suffer from the pains in the shoulder and arms and a headache. The soon ways on how to treat stiff neck fast and naturally are needed to prevent further bad results and you can, fortunately, get an improvement after a few days by simple changes in the lifestyle or home remedies for relieving the pain and stiffness.

A stiff neck is caused by many factors such as working with the computer for a long time, sleeping in an improper position, carrying heavy loads, or straining muscles because of bad postures. It can be also caused by some injuries associated with the neck, other diseases like meningitis, rheumatoid arthritis or even cancer, and stress and anxiety that can create tension directly on the neck muscles.

This is time now for Healthyguide.com to show you 14 effective ways on how to treat stiff neck pain in adults. All of the mentioned treatments include both the natural remedies and professional medication for you to apply. For those who are suffering from a stiff neck or taking care of someone with this condition, just spend a few minutes reading our article to have more experience!

Top 14 Effective Ways On How To Treat Stiff Neck Naturally At Home In Adults You Should Not Ignore

1. Properly Sleep

While sleeping in an awkward position is a cause of a stiff neck, maintaining proper sleeping is one of the common ways on how to treat stiff neck naturally and fast. For example, you should do some exercises before going to the bed at night, which should be done between 7 to 9 pm in most adults. However, you need to avoid motions that take effects on your neck pain and take some rests between workouts. If you find more pains after doing exercises, you may have to take a break for a few days because they are likely to strain on your neck as well and make your stiff neck worse.

To get the best sleeping positions as ways on how to treat stiff neck fast and naturally, you should sleep on the side that has been highly recommended by doctors. For example, if you sleep on your back, you should place a pillow under your knees try to keep them slightly bent upward and if you sleep on your side, you should not curl up your body too much although your spine is kept in the best alignment by this position. A pillow is also advised to place between your 2 knees when sleeping on side. In addition, you can put a rolled-up hand towel under your neck to support the pillow in easing the stiff neck.

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2. Massage

Massage is another way on how to treat stiff neck pain fast and naturally you can follow, which has been widely used to remove the body pains, tiredness, and stress. By gentle massaging, your muscles are relaxed while the blood circulation is increased which stimulates the whole functioning of the body. Massage is certainly effective in reducing the stiffness and improving your sleep.

You can follow these steps to have good massage as follows:
Relax your muscles by taking a warm bath or shower
Take your favorite oils (coconut oil, olive oil, or mustard oil) and lightly warm it up
Apply the oil to the pain area and massage it with firm but gentle strokes for a few minutes.
Ask for another’s help if you cannot massage on your own because of the stiff neck.

3. Practice Exercises

Regular exercise is also one of the effective ways on how to treat stiff neck naturally and fastyou should follow. The reason is that exercising certainly helps you improve the muscle strength, control the stress hormones, support your sleep, lower inflammation, and maintain a healthy body weight. Hence, doing exercises is an effective way to avoid further injuries including the stiff neck.

In fact, the deficiency in activities can cause the weakness of the muscles including that keeps the head movable around the neck while physical activity can stimulate oxygen circulation throughout the body, which supports the healing process. However, you should follow safe exercises that do not cause strains or sprains to your muscles. In addition, you should come to see a doctor or physical therapist to ask for suitable exercises if you have suffered from injuries in the past.

You can do some simple exercises at home by improving motion in your neck but avoid doing on your own when you feel much of pains. You can follow one or both the neck exercises as natural ways on how to treat stiff neck pain naturally and fast:

Exercise 1:

Sit up tall but not hunch over on a chair
Turn the left hand behind the head then pull it at gently toward the knee keep this manner for about 10 seconds to stretch the muscle and then relax it for other 10 seconds.
Moreover, slowly pull the head toward the chest to deepen the stretch until reaching a new ending point.
Do the manner 2 or 3 times, but stop if stiffness worsens.

Exercise 2:

Sit up straight and keep the body relaxed.
Nod the head forward and backward for a few minutes.
Alternatively, tilt the head down toward the left shoulder to the right shoulder for a few minutes.
Keeping the body fixed, slowly turn your head to the left then to the right for a few minutes.
Finish the exercise with a few shoulder rolls.

Note: If you want to prevent the risk of stiff neck, you should go swimming regularly as it may help improve the strength of both the neck and back. Swimming techniques, however, should be proper and not be overdone.

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4. Maintain Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Diet also plays an important role in the list of top ways on how to treat stiff neck pain fast and naturally and you should follow an anti-inflammatory one as an advice. The reason is that the high level of inflammation may prevent the muscles from more pain and injury while protecting you against bone and joint weakness. In fact, you are facing a neck problem if your overall strength, motion, and flexibility aren’t compromised.

While inflammation makes you more difficult to recover from injuries, an anti-inflammatory diet is necessary to speed up your healing process. That means you have to restrict foods containing much sugar, processed products, refined grain products, chemically sprayed crops, packaged snacks, and alcohol while including healing foods like green leafy veggies, foods rich in protein like grass-fed meat, cage-free eggs, and wild-caught fish, and healthy fats like coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil, and probiotics foods like yogurt and cultured veggies instead. In brief, maintaining a proper diet is really necessary not only for treating your stiff neck but also for improving the overall health, which is also not difficult to follow indeed.

5. Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is another way on how to treat stiff neck after sleeping that people should not skip at all costs. In fact, you can easily see people using heat to get rid of their pain such as applying a hot egg onto the sore eyes and this remedy is also used for the neck pain. The therapy allows you to increase the blood flow thereby decreasing stiffness as a result. Heat therapy is recommended as below:

Apply a hot compress (possibly in the forms of a hot water bottle, a hot towel, heat wrap, or a heating pad) to your neck for 10 minutes 3 or 4 times daily until you gain significant relief.
Alternatively, stand under the shower running slightly hot or warm water on your neck for a few minutes while not moving your neck anymore. The therapy can be done 2 or 3 times a day.

6. Cold Compresses

Cold compresses are sometimes more highly appreciated than the heat therapy on the list of ways on how to treat stiff neck naturally and fast. The cold compresses supply the cold temperature in order to numb pain and restrict the appearance of lactic acid that is known as a byproduct of muscle metabolism causing soreness. Cold compresses should be applied as follows:

Take a thin towel and wrap some ice cubes inside
Hold the compress on your stiff neck for at least 10 minutes (avoid applying ices directly onto the skin)
Repeat every 2 hours within 2 days
A bag of frozen peas can be used instead of ice in the same way.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar

You may know that apple cider vinegar has been used much in the health recipes and treatments because of its certain properties. The vinegar contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties essential for treating the pain and soreness. In addition, apple cider vinegar also helps prevent strain and pain on the muscles associated with nutrient deficiencies. You can use apple cider vinegar for your stiff neck as below:

Prepare raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar and soak a paper napkin in it, place the napkin on your neck area for a few hours. Repeat the remedy twice a day until you get the relief.
Alternatively, add 2 cups of the vinegar to your lukewarm bathwater and soak your body including the neck in for about 15 minutes once daily until you get a complete relief.

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8. Peppermint Oil

There are many ways on how to treat stiff neck fast and naturally and peppermint oil is one of them. With the presence of menthol, peppermint oil can help relieve stiff muscles of your neck while its analgesic property also helps decrease pain and discomfort.

Add some peppermint essential oil to 2 teaspoons olive oil that has been warmed up by the microwave. Gently massage the mixed oil on your neck twice a day within a few days.
Alternatively, stir 2 drops of peppermint oil in a bowl of cold water then soak a washcloth in and place it on your neck area for at least 10 minutes. Use the remedy until you get the relief.
Avoid applying peppermint oil to children or those with sensitive skin.

9. Epsom Salt

The list of ways on how to treat stiff neck fast and naturally also include the use of Epsom salt that is made up of magnesium sulfate, a chemical compound. The reason is that Epsom salt can aid in improving circulation and regulating the activities of many enzymes in the body, which consequently reduces muscle tension including the stiff neck. You can use Epsom salt for the stiff neck as follows:

Stir 2 cups of Epsom salt in a bathtub that has been fulfilled with warm water
Soak your body in the water keeping your neck submerged for at least 15 minutes.
Take this kind of bath 3 times a week.
The remedy is not recommended for those with diabetes or kidney problems.

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10. Turmeric

With the presence of anti-inflammatory property in turmeric, it can be used to relieve the pain and soreness caused by your stiff neck. In addition, turmeric also helps improve blood circulation throughout the body. Turmeric is used to treat your neck as below:

Take a cup of milk and mix a teaspoon turmeric powder in, slightly heat the mixture for 5 minutes, let it cool then add some honey and drink it twice daily for a few days.
Additionally, add turmeric to your daily cooking as much as possible.
Alternatively, consume turmeric in the forms of capsule or tablet under the direction of a doctor.
Turmeric remedy is not recommended for those with a bile duct obstruction or gallstones.

11. Cayenne Pepper

If you are wondering how to treat stiff neck after sleeping, cayenne pepper is a suitable answer. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects beneficial for reducing pain and inflammation, particularly in those with the stiff neck. Cayenne pepper should be used as below direction:

Mix a teaspoon cayenne pepper powder with 2 tablespoons olive oil that has been warmed up. Apply the mixture onto your neck area, use a bandage to cover it and keep for a few hours. Apply the remedy for a few days.
Alternatively, massage your affected neck with a cream or lotion containing the ingredient cayenne pepper or capsaicin.
Additionally, add cayenne pepper to your cooking to support recovery.

12. Natural Muscle Relaxers

You can use natural muscle relaxers to relieve pain and stress as a natural way on how to treat stiff neck naturally and fast at home. The fact is that excessive stress causes tension around the head, neck, and shoulders, which in turn causes more stress and a vicious cycle is formed as well.

Firstly, you can use available ice packs to apply to your neck several times a day after the first 72 hours of pains. And 3 days later, you should use targeted heat therapies to deal with the neck muscle pain.

Secondly, you can follow exercises, directed massage, or acupuncture treatments as natural muscle relaxers that are not only beneficial for a stiff neck but also effective in preventing other nerve-related problems. In fact, heating and massaging your neck can help loosen up the tight issues, improve the blood flow, relax muscles, and even stimulate the production of painkilling and calm the chemicals the body naturally produces. Your exercising can release chemicals called endorphins that certainly relieve your pain thereby widely used in emergencies in the form of capsules.

Thirdly, you can use essential oils such as carrier oils and peppermint essential oils as safe how to treat stiff neck that not only relieve your pain but also reduce inflammation. In addition, you should also avoid too much caffeine and alcohol and caffeine, stop smoking and using recreational drugs.

13. Acupressure

Acupressure is also one of the how to treat stiff neck after sleeping you can use to get a quick relief. More clearly, Luo Zhen is known as the name of acupressure point on the hand back found to treat a stiff neck. It locates between the 2 bones associated with the knuckles of the pointer and the middle fingers.

If you are suffering from a left stiff neck, you should massage the point on the right hand and vice versa. You can use your fingertip to press lightly as the way to massage this point and maintain the pressure for a few minutes while rotating your head to exercise your neck.

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14. Chiropractic Therapy

In some emergencies, the patients with the stiff neck need immediate chiropractic therapy to recover quickly. Chiropractors can exactly measure the curve and give targeted adjustments to remove the neck pain. Additionally, chiropractors also introduce you with helpful posture exercises to work at home that focuses on the strength of the spine and target to the proper alignment so as to relieve muscle tension and lower strains and sprains as well.

According to the studies before, every inch the head deviates from its exact center of the gravity can cause your neck to bear 10 pounds of stress indeed. In fact, the chiropractors can easily see patients with this deviation which in turn adds an extra pressure on the necks. It is time Chiropractic adjustments are recommended in combination with spinal rehabilitation exercises to help you follow proper posture of your head, neck, and shoulders as the how to treat stiff neck after sleeping and also improve your overall quality of life.

A study conducted on pain medication, spinal manipulative therapy from chiropractic care, and exercises to test the effectiveness these how to treat stiff neck showed that up to a half of 57% people who met chiropractors and followed a specific exercise program experienced a reduction in the neck stiff at the rate 75%. So, if you want to get quick relief from a stiff neck, chiropractic therapy is really a good one.

Additional Tips

Besides various how to treat stiff neck after sleeping, you should pay attention to some points as follow to get quicker relief:

Try skin-scraping remedy to deal with your stiff neck: Lubricate some massage oils onto the affected area then use the edge of a spoon to gently scrape the skin, which starts at the top of the neck gradually downs to the top of the shoulders. If you find it difficult to do it on your own, you should ask for your friend’s help.
Sleep enough 8 hours every night while not sleeping on your stomach and sleeping on your back or your side instead
Try to sleep without a pillow sometimes
Use firm mattress to support your neck and spine
Getting enough rest to let your body heal more quickly
Take enough breaks during working to decrease the stress on your neck.
Do not do heavy physical exercises if your pain is worse for a few weeks.
Reduce your emotional stress with some relaxation techniques as it can trigger your muscle tension.
Restrict driving because it can aggravate your problem
Follow some good postures when standing or sitting throughout the day.
Do not put any strain on your neck muscles, which certainly increases the pain and impacts on the healing process.
If you are over-weighted, you should lose your excess because your heavy gravity can put a strain on the muscles.

After reading the article on 14 effective ways how to treat stiff neck fast in adults in our main How to page, hope that you can know how to treat this muscle condition effectively with both the natural and professional methods. Please let us know if you have any question by leaving them below and share with us other how to treat stiff neck fast if you really get.

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14 Ways How to Treat Stiff Neck Pain after Sleeping Fast & Naturally