For some of us, a neck brace should always be there in our neck that means both day and night! On the other hand, Not only in daytimes but a neck brace can irritate you and are responsible for sleepless nights! However, there are some tips and techniques on how to sleep with a neck brace to deal with it and make that thing less noticeable in your neck.
First of all, to take good care of your hurting neck, you can’t compromise with what your doctor or physician has asked you to follow. These braces can limit your neck movement. It is required to battle with a pinched nerve, cervical fusion recovery, or any other neck or spine-based complication or injury.
You should also know about an essential part related to sleeping with neck braces. Depending on your other health condition you can get permission from your health expert about log rolling. It is the safest method to go and move out of a bed without straining, stressing, or moving the neck.
To move into the bed, sit in the upright position at the edge of the mattress. Further, lean down on your forearm or elbow so that your body will be in a side-lying position on the bed. Slowly lift your legs and roll using your back.
What are Neck Braces?
You can also call neck braces C collars or Cervical collars. The main purpose of which is to support our head and spinal cord. So these collars are generally used to treat neck surgeries, neck injuries, and some kinds of neck pain.
You can’t choose to use any cervical collar available in the market since they are of many types and are made to support different purposes. For example, you can find two general categories of C collars namely hard and soft types.
The hard one is typical for the treatment of injuries, spinal fractures, and severe neck pain. The soft one is made for easing moderate neck pain. A three-part halo ring brace and a cervical-thoracic brace come under the category of complex collars.
Hence, physicians mostly asked their wearers to rolled-up towel beneath your neck while being in a semi-reclined position on a bed. Similarly, health experts might ask you to one type of brace with other to get a hard cervical collar while you are sleeping on a bed.
9 Essential Tips on How to Sleep With a Neck Brace
Remember to follow all the directions given by your doctor with the below suggestions. These will help you to treat well your spinal rehabilitation or post-surgery recovery using a neck brace without any issues;
1) The mattress that you are using for sleeping on the bed should not be too soft. In this way, the neck should get the good amount of support needed.
2) Before going to bed, you need to make sure to adjust the neck brace so that it can comfortably fit well on your neck neither too tight. You can take some pillows that can help you to stabilize your neck and let you take a good sleep.
3) You need to be sure the neck is well aligned with your body while sleeping so avoid being in a twisted position in this case.
4) Another option to sleep well with a neck brace is to use a comfortable armchair for the purpose. You can choose the one that comes with plush cushions and a reclining function. It might be uneasy for you to sleep the whole night in an armchair but after some time, many people generally use it. At least, it avoids the possibility of turning and tossing during sleep as compared to lying on a bed.
5) After sleep, do not be too harsh on your body to come out of the bed. Start with rolling your body gently on one side. Next, move your legs towards the bedside and use your arms to push up your body.
6) Never take more than two pillows behind your heck to avoid access pressure on an injured neck. If you are having an excessive number of pillows then you can use them under the arms or legs to rest them more comfortably on an armchair.
7) Place your neck in a position such that you will not feel it bent towards the back, front, or any side.
8) Never sleep on the bed when you are wearing a neck collar. Try to sleep on your back or your side in whatever way you feel comfortable. The neck must be kept straight.
9) A firm mattress can offer optimal support to our spinal cord. Use a pillow with ti that is thick enough to provide enough support to your neck without any chance of bending.
Final Thoughts
These days many doctors are avoiding recommending neck braces to their patients till it is required. It is said that necks before stiffer after using such braces. Generally, the best neck braces are used only for short-term treatments.
Anyways, if your doctor has asked you to keep the collar on your neck all time then this means you need to wear it during bedtime as well. Try to get almost all tips from your Doctor who prescribed you to wear neck collars even during sleep!
Now you know how to sleep with a neck brace especially during sleep while using a neck support brace. After all, high-quality sleep is necessary for our body for healing or surgical purpose!