We had parent-teacher conferences last week, which meant we worked 12 hour days on Wednesday and Thursday, then had Friday off. It makes for a hard week and when my teammates and I went out for Lunch on Thursday,we were clearly punchy.
Exhausted when I got home, I played with Lucy for a bit then went to bed and slept, unmoving, until about 7 the next morning. I know I slept without moving because, when I woke up I had a real live pain in the neck. It was on the right side, towards the back. I could look left and up without pain, but down and right hurt.It was definitely a muscle pain, so I hoed it would pass on its own. I took an afternoon nap as part of my P-T conference recovery program and it was about the same when I got up. By the time I went to bed, it felt a little better.
And then it wasn’t. I woke around two Saturday morning with excruciating pain in my neck. I tried to change my sleeping position, but moving my right arm cause the pain to flare. I struggled out of bed, careful not to wake the basset sleeping soundly beside me. I dreaded trying to lay down again; there was no comfortable way to do so. Should I use heat? I fear sleeping with a heating pad and setting my bed on fire.
I did a little online research and came across some reasons for neck pain, (not moving while asleep is one of them!) and looking for remedies. I rejected any option referring to heat. Oh, how I wished I had one of those rice filled neck things you could microwave! Then, I came a cross a suggestion to sleep on your side (my preferred position) with a rolled up towel under the neck to maintain a straight spine. What could it hurt?
Amazingly, when I set the rolled towel in place, the pain diminished. I fell asleep easily and woke, feeling better than I had at two. I used the heating pad most of Saturday and the pain began to disappear. Sunday night, I was able to sleep without the towel. By Monday morning, it was almost gone. Today, it is barely a memory.
I still might make one of those rice filled heating pads. It turns out, you can make one out of a sock!
booksandbassets 
So glad you found a way to relieve the pain. The rolled up towel is good to know and I will keep it in the back of my mind should the need arise.
I’ve had chronic neck pain (from a MVA crash in 1998) for years. If you need any tips, lmk. I’m happy to give you some ideas. Just shoot me an email.
Thanks. I hope I don’t have to take you up on it, but I will if it comes back.
You have given me an idea just when I needed it the most – a simple but effective solution.
The teacher I share a room with at school had a neck pain all day today. I will share the idea with her tomorrow.
Maybe it is just a stressful time of year.