How do you sleep with a stiff neck?

While torticollis can be disabling during the day, making it impossible to carry out everyday tasks, it can be just as troublesome at night. It can disrupt sleep when the pain is too intense. It does not allow the subject to adopt any position. Fortunately, there are solutions for sleeping well with torticollis. For those prone to recurrent torticollis, medical treatments and natural remedies can help.

Sleeping well with torticollis

Before bedtime, it's essential to relieve the tension that torticollis is responsible for. Asking someone close to you to perform a gentle massage using specific essential oils can really ease the discomfort. Of course, you'll need to choose plants with anti-inflammatory, relaxing and pain-relieving properties. It helps to relax muscles and promote blood circulation. You can, for example, warm the painful area with a microwaved cherry-stone cushion, or apply a heating patch.

These simple solutions help you get a good night's sleep. They can also be repeated several times a day. As for stretching the area affected by muscle contracture, this should only be done by experienced people. Poorly performed neck stretching can lead to blockage and severe pain. It's equally important to use the right pillow and adopt the best postures. An ultra-flat, feather-filled pillow and a memory foam pillow provide soft comfort, while allowing you to position your neck and head correctly.

At the same time, it's best to avoid lying on your stomach, as this position puts maximum strain on the neck. It's much better to lie on your side, keeping your head in line with your spine. This alignment must never be compromised, as this can only aggravate the pain and contracture.

Recurrent torticollis: medical treatments and natural remedies

To overcome persistent or recurrent torticollis, functional re-education is essential. This may be accompanied by medical treatment, including a muscle relaxant. In the presence of spasmodic torticollis, injections of botulinum toxin - or botulinum toxin - may be part of the protocol. Medical consultation is essential.

In the case of benign torticollis - the most common form of this muscular contracture - the use of a synergy of essential oils may suffice to make stiffness and pain disappear after a few massages. We particularly recommend :

• Rosemary camphor, muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory;
• Sweet gale, powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory;
• Lemon Eucalyptus, anti-inflammatory;
• Lavender officinalis, antispasmodic.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 7 years of age should not use these essential oils. In addition, you should seek advice from your pharmacist before using essential oils. Adopting the right posture when reading, working on the computer or simply lying down can help prevent benign torticollis in many cases. It's also important to keep this sensitive area supple by limiting the duration of static posture. A few gentle movements of the neck are enough to limit the risk of contractures.