How to Fix Neck Hump While Sleeping
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Want to fix your neck hump and poor posture while sleeping? Here are a few tips to help improve your posture at night.
0:00 Intro
0:56 Mobilize the Area
1:53 Scapular Retraction
2:22 Head Turn and Lift
3:00 Back Sleepers
4:24 Stomach Sleeper Tips
Step 1: Mobilize your Hump
The first step is to mobilize the area. Your neck hump is probably stiff - after all, it’s been like that for a while. Mobilizing it gives you a better chance at changing your posture.
For this activity you’ll need a towel or a balled-up pair of socks. Ideally, you’d perform mobilization on a flat surface such as the floor, but you can try this on your bed if you have a large towel to use.
First, roll up the towel, then lie down so that it’s directly under your spine. Make sure the towel is thick enough to keep you from sinking into the bed; you should feel it pressing into your back.
Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. Then scoot the towel slightly to the right of your spine and hold for another 30 seconds. Switch sides. Repeat this 3-4 times on each side as you work along the sensitive areas of your neck.
After mobilizing the area, reinforce good posture by squeezing your shoulder blades together and moving your arms into external rotation (out to either side like a door hinge, with elbows bent). Do this 20 to 30 times.
The point: Gentle mobilization helps bring the spine into a neutral position and stretches the front of the chest. If your chest muscles are too tight, they’ll pull your shoulders forward and make your bad posture even worse.
Step 2: Stretch your Neck
This next step will feel a little more natural for stomach sleepers than it will for back sleepers. But this one you can certainly do in your bed.
While lying on your stomach, place your arms overhead and turn your head to one side. Now carefully extend your neck slightly, up from your pillow. You should feel as if you’re trying to look behind you across the room.
Repeat 5 to 10 times and then turn your head to the other side for the same reps. Stop the exercise if you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded.
The point: This subtle movement stretches the anterior neck muscle and promotes extension at the CT junction, where the cervical and thoracic vertebrae meet.
Now that you’ve done your pre-sleep warm-up and have mobilized, stretched, and worked on strengthening the right muscles, it’s time to address your sleeping posture.
Step 3: Adjust your Sleep Posture
The way you sleep is absolutely critical to combating dowager’s hump. Your goal here is to gradually straighten your spine by removing or adding support.
Back sleepers: For you, the goal is to remove support until your head aligns with your spine. If you use multiple pillows, work your way down to one pillow. And once you’re comfortable using one pillow, transition to a thin pillow.
These changes can feel huge, so give yourself two weeks to work your way down to one pillow. To help you transition, you can place a rolled-up towel underneath your pillow to prop it up. Over the next week or so, gradually unroll the towel until it is flat.
The point: A double pillow or a really thick pillow forces your neck into flexion and puts even more pressure on your neck hump. You need to remove that pressure so the body stops sending fatty tissue to that area.
Stomach sleepers: Compared to back sleepers, a stomach sleeper might have a harder time adjusting their sleep position. That’s because most stomach sleepers hug a pillow, which rounds the back even more.
My suggestion? Try sleeping on your side. But if that isn’t possible, you can modify your stomach-sleeping position by placing a thin pillow or folded towel under your pelvis.
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Thank you for including tips for stomach sleepers that are actually helpful and not just a "stop sleeping on your stomach"! Because of joint problems and hypermobility, sleeping on my stomach is the only option that truly works for me and causes the least amount of pain and discomfort, and it's been really discouraging to up until now only get "don't sleep on your stomach" as suggestions to help with the neck hump.
You solved my all problems in 1 video thank u so much
Thank you for taking time to tell us what to do, instead of trying to sell us something ❤
Please include what side sleepers should do. You covered back and stomach but not side sleepers. Thank you in advance ☺️
Stop side sleeping and start backsleeping. And dont say you can't, i know it isn't something sidesleepers want to hear as it is uncomfortable at first. I was a hardcore embryo sidesleeper till i was 18 years old. So for 4 years now i'm sleeping on my back as i had posture problems and pain throughout my whole body. From one day to the other i forced myself in an instant to only backsleep without a pillow. First days/weeks it may be really weird but once you got it (and you will) your Quality of life, your sleep and your posture will DRASTICALLY improve. I even got rid of my years long shoulder problems with resulting shoulder impingements and i sometimes forget i ever had them since im so healthy and far away from problems now.
Yes exactly
He says side sleeping is ideal.
@04:17
@@MaxMustermann-ze1iv Back sleeping can exacerbate sleep apnea and breathing problems if you have narrow airways like I do. Back sleeping isn’t healthy for all people.
Thank you so much. You are a kind man for sharing all this for free... 😊
Thank you!!! Great video and very clear instructions!! Love the scapular traction.
I had always woken up with a more pronounced hump than the night before. I changed to the Carbon X Butterfly pillow and saw an immediate difference. Combined with the neck hump 3-minute drill, my hump is almost gone and so is the neck pain and headaches.
I'm interested to know if you've fixed this hump in your younger years, middle age or old age? You don't have to give exact age. I've seen my older family members develop these humps and am wondering if it is inevitable or if it is fixable in the long term.
@@Flamencoista I developed it in my late 20s due to bad posture sitting in front of the computer for hours at a time. Only started seeing an improvement mid 30s due to stretches and proper pillow. It might be fixable for older people but I suspect that it would take a bit longer. For me it took about 3 months to see noticeable results.
How about waist hump? I have a serious problem with that
Ótimo video , porém, vc fala muito rápido .Para quem está lendo LEGENDAS é bem ruim.Obrigada !
Thanks Tim. I will be trying the pillow under the tummy right now- wish me luck! This pain came out of no where so I’m thankful for the free chiro tips to save the day. Subscribed 😊
As a stomach sleeper I’m definitely going to try these out.
Great! Hope you found the video to be helpful!
Update
Your videos helped my mother quite a lot. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for the video! Will try the technique tonight!
I’m a stomach sleeper (although I’m trying to sleep on my left or right side, but keep turning on my stomach while in a deep sleep), thank you so much! That is what I needed!
Blessings 🙏🏻
That's wonderful thank you .I will follow the last posture
Thank you Tim!!! I’ve been trying to correct my posture and your videos help me
Thank you for this. I already slept with just one thin pillow, and I am now sleeping with no pillow at all. I usually sleep on a mix of my back and sides, but without a pillow I have stuck to sleeping on my back. Sometimes this is comfortable and seems to help, and sometimes less so, as I wake up with shoulders tensed and rounded anyway. As far as you're concerned, is the no pillow a good or bad idea?
amazing channel so much practical and useful info bravo
Thank you so much! I'm gonna let my teen son practice this. 🙋
Thank you, excellent information!!
will try this for a while and let you know what happens. looks and sounds promising.
GREAT WORK!! Thanks a lot!
Appreciate you not just saying to stomach sleepers 'just stop sleeping like that'! lol... we like real solutions too :D
Thanks for this.
Thank you, that's a beautiful explanation, could do a video for frozen shoulder
Thank you for the information
Thank you for the tips, i'm a bit torn because I start my sleep on my left side with my head quite tucked in. This is very comfortable for me. I wake up in the morning on my back and turn to my right side if it's still really early for me to get up. Head tucked in again. I might need to strap myself down.
I've tried sleeping on my back at the onset but my head keeps turning upwards or my chin tucked so much I sometimes wake up cause I couldn't breathe (i get nightmares and wake up out of breath).
I'll try the exercises and maybe just alot more time for the stretches before going to bed. Thanks again for the tips
Thank you I'm going to try this
I've started working on it & using these exercises & I can feel the difference .... I know it's going to take a loooooog time ....hope I can stay w/this ... TY
Really it recovering.
Helpful!! Thank you.
thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I sleep on my back only and nowadays with a very thin pillow due to lower back, hip and neck pain and been doing so for about 7 years, been active all my life even been lifting weights...still a neck hump...might be because I do spend some time in front of the computer....I am in my early 50's
Great video!! Finally I understand how my neck hump developed. I also have Scheuermann, so extra bad hump😢
I use the “backmitra” and lay on it every day for 20 minutes to open my chest and line up my neck and upper back.
helloi have scoliosis,
please tell me what is a "backmitra" and where can I obtain or purchase one?. thank you kindly, in advance😊
hi!! thank you so much for this video!
Thanks 🙏 really helped
Wow. Thank you.
Thnk yu so much for sharing
Demonstration would be helpful!
What is good sleeping position for side sleepers to reduce neck jump and poor posture? Thanks!
Thank you so much 🙏
Thanks for the video its very useful. Just a quick question please if you have time to answer- so most of the time my shoulders and area around neck are painful. Can it be something related to it??
Thank you a lot it helped me a lot😇
Thank you 😊
Keep spreading the good news and show love towards others
Hi, Tim! I'm new here. Right now, I weigh 210 lbs. (I weighed a lot more in the past, but I was 50 years younger - I'm now 70). I was totally disabled for a while, and I'd like to get back on my feet and get going. Right now, I have to use a walker for stability. I sleep in a hospital bed right now, because I am prone to aspiration pneumonia. I also have scoliosis. I have a hump in the back of my neck. I was wondering if I were to sleep on my stomach do you think that might actually help me? I wake up every single morning with headaches from my neck, no matter what pillow I use, and because I'm in the hospital bed, I always slide a bit and I wake up with my head on the pillow, but my neck is not supported. I have other questions. Do you have a website where maybe I could get these addressed? What city do you practice in? Also, I'm hunched over so I'm thinking about a stiff back brace. What is your stance on those? Thanks so much! Sandy
Thanks!
Hi. For back sleepers who have GERD, what pillow(s) would you recommend? It has been said with GERD,it's best to sleep upright.
Do you have any sleep tips for side sleepers?? Thank you!
Thanks
hey im a student in 12th grade and im thinking of PT as my career. Your videos help a lot so thanks. I wanted to ask do you practice or recommend yoga to any of your patients?
I personally do not practice yoga very much but sometimes recommend it to my patients if they’re interested in a way to exercise at home with low impact activities. Good luck with your studies!
Going to try it tonight...let you know if it helps.
Cool, i will try
I have a big hump. I sleep sideways.
Thank you for sharing, Blessings.
These exercises can be very effective
Those with sinus issues have to have their head slightly elevated. Would you suggest adding a wedge?
Thanks for this video, I found it very helpful. However, I am also desperately looking for a position where I can lay down and read that will either help fix my forward head posture (🙏) or at least not exacerbate it.
I was reading in the last position you showed (on my stomach, sans any pillows tho) with my head pushed back, thinking I was helping by getting my head back closer to alignment (?). The thing is my arms get extremely tired holding up my upper body for a few hours at a time....I sense a dad joke in there somewhere ;) Now, since your video, I have included pillows as you recommended (I realize this position was recommended for sleeping, not reading).
Is this a good position, or do you know of a better one, more conducive to reading whilst lying down. Please help, I would hate to think I am further ruining my posture, especially considering all the darn exercises I have been doing day and night (Y W T L stretches for example).
Hey Doc! I get thumb and wrist pain sometimes, could that be affected by the c7 vertebrae? I'm starting to get a neck hump too but getting headaches and that thumb pain I feel like comes from that
What about side sleepers?
Which is majority of us lol
Right
@@Deanna_mechael Stomach sleeper here. You side sleepers are weirdos. It’s so friggin uncomfortable and I have NEVER been able to sleep on my side without my arm going numb.
@@kconrad5893 where do you put your arm?
@@Lazymath007_ My left arm is stretched out completely vertical above my head, and my right arm is also pointed up, but I sort of wrap it around my head and rest my right hand on my left forearm. I either have my left arm under or above my pillow depending on my mood.
I have like so many questions because I don't know where to start with this. I am a mix of everything. I sleep with multiple pillows but the main pillow i have is like my one pillow i sleep on. I have multiple pillows due to some breathing issues. And I'm a pillow hugger as well 😆 which also I'm a side sleeper. It gets better... I also move in my sleep. I roll around all the time. So knowing all this, do you have a suggest for how I should sleep knowing all of this. Because I'm just confused because i pretty much do almost exactly all of them. I do not know where to really start.
helloi have scoliosis, and my hump has become very pronounced in the last 6 years. i love this information. thankyou for sharing your expertise, if this works for me. i will be very grateful. please would you kindly tell me what is a "backmitra" and how can i obtain andor purchase?
What about using a special pillow for neck pain that has a dipped area in the middle? Is this okay for sleeping on?
Do you recommend wearing a posture corrector during the day? If yes, any recommendation for a small framed woman.
I have sway back posture and I’m trying to stomach sleeping version. Should my pelvis be higher than my head and stomach?? I sleep on the floor on a futon type of mattress and I am wondering if I should have two pillows under my pelvis and one under my head and stomach
What pillow and mattress do you recommend using? I’m in the market of buying a new pillow and mattress
Can I sleep without a pillow to help straighten my posture if I’m a back sleeper? Even with thin pillows I feel my neck being pushed forward. Or is it bad for the neck?
GOD BLESS YOU SON... THANK YOU
What pillow do you recommend doc? send me a link, I need one
Hi please may I ask if this would be ok for me…I have spondylosis and also a full thickness tear to my supraspinatus in my left shoulder?? Thank you 😊
Is sleeping on a Japanese Futon better than a mattress? Recently I find my mattress making my posture worse as I sleep.
Hi I really appreciate these videos! No-one ever explained the cause of the hump before as fat protecting the spine. Wow! That makes sense! I love when people that know share their knowledge like you are! Hey I am a side sleeper. Any tips for side sleepers? Also could you demonstrate the exercises to do before bed that you went through before addressing stomach sleepers. I can try to get it from watching a few more times but thought I would ask! You are doing wonderful job! Thank you so much!!!
would you tell us how you can disappeared it?
Thank you for help in that ugly hump.
Do they really go away?
I can't seem to find comfort in any pillow. I'll try to find a thin pillow. 🙌🏼
I bend to much while writing while eating i can't sit straight while doing anything , and don't want further problems like bending shoulders so sir can you give me some tips about it so I can start applying it
Thax
How about a posture corrector as you sleep? Helpful
Can you go to no pillow when back sleeping?
What's the best sleeping position then for side sleepers?
What about side sleeping?
Sir, my brother has hump of neck since childhood but whenever his uric acid level increase it causes neck hump pain.
As a matter of fact I have been doing some of these sleeping positions fo the past five years!
Does it work?
Thank you for these videos. My chiropractor doesn't recommend anything to help with this issue or even excercises. Thanks again.
I'd stop seeing the chiropractic, I really don't have any faith I'm them ,the best they can say is that one side is smaller or bigger than the other side .But here's the thing all of us have one side bigger or smaller than the other it's normal
What if you got a pinched nerve? Can you still do these?
Hey doctor can you please tell how much time will it take for stomach sleepers to get rid of this annoying thing
I dont use any pillows, but I'll sometimes put a blanket under my face. Is using a pillow at all necessary?
I sleep on my left side. do you have tips?
I try now i feel weird in my stomach.... but gotta fix this neck hump. Thx.
When a hump is quiet large is there a need for surgery? If not as one ages will it keep getting worst?
tips for side sleepers??
I have a question. When I put my hands/arms above my head my arms go numb. What causes that and what can I do about it?
I sleep like this pillows naturally :)
I see al ot of comments about side sleepers. I have sleep apnea and back sleeping doesn't work. Any suggestions?
Please would you demonstrate the sock method, with your back to us & placing the Sock as directed n then actually showing how to apply said method? PLEASE 🙏
Your new subscriber here💙
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to subscribe :)
@@PTProgress can you make a video on lower back braces, I just started a job in ups and I don’t want to mess up my back
What about Side Sleepers?
How about side sleepers?
I am a student and sit in a chair alot to study, what can I do to prevent pain?
Hello my Name is Abdullahi from Somalia, I would like to know what is the best advice you should give to a student who is intending to start BPT
what’s btp
@@jokeman1584 Bachelors of physiotherapy I think
Can you
Make a video on lower back braces
Good suggestion - thank you! In general, back braces provide temporary support and are not recommended for long term use. Proper body mechanics with lifting and squatting will do 10x more for your back than any brace. I’d recommend watching some videos about proper squat technique and to be mindful of how you move with every delivery. Congrats on the new job!
Any tips for reading in bed? Thanks !
what was the drill for side sleepers?
My problem is actually the result of a double frozen shoulder…my external arm rotation is basically non existent anymore & it just feels as if my shoulders are locked in a slight forward position. My shoulder blades were super affected, too. Thus, most of the exercises are really tough to do for me…namely the reason why I have this issue in the first place.
It’s been several years and slowly but surely I felt that my spine around the neck area just wouldn’t open up properly anymore. It’s quite frustrating. I’ve started to use a yoga stool for headstands and this actually helped a LOT! Mostly I feel like: could someone just pull my neck straight, please?!
I use magnesium oil rubbed into the shoulder, calcium is the contractor but magnesium is the relaxer element. It won’t work overnight and it can itch like crazy to begin with. May not cure it totally but hopefully you can get some relief. Magnesium citrate orally can help but can be laxative. Epsom salt baths also good :). Hope that helps!
thank you for the magnesium oil tip. i also will try this.
I am a stomach sleeper but the thing i don't use pillows at all i just sleep on the mattress, what should i do?
hello tim! may i ask u, is it better for me to remove the neck hump by surgery? is it safe?
thank u
I'm 67 will these exercises help someone who has had a hump for as many years as I have?