We all have our go-to sleeping positions, and each has its pros and cons. For instance, sleeping on your back can improve the alignment of your spine but can also worsen snoring. When you sleep on your side, you’re keeping your airways open but also increasing the likelihood of feeling hip pain in the morning.

If you’re feeling hip pain from sleeping on your side, it can interfere with your mood and activity level for the rest of the day. Keep reading to discover a few tips to help alleviate your current pain and reduce the risk of recurring hip pain.

3 tips to fix hip pain from sleeping on your side

Whether you sleep on your side every night or you decided to test out a different position, waking up with hip pain can be frustrating. Here are three ways to relieve or prevent hip pain from sleeping on the side:

• Use a pillow — Hip pain from sleeping on your side is often due to spinal misalignment. You’re also irritating your hip joint due to the natural gravity pushing on your hip muscles. Try placing a pillow between your knees before closing your eyes. Not only can it help improve your alignment, but it also keeps your pelvic bone level. 
• Take a pain reliever — If you’re looking for temporary pain relief that can help get you through daily activities, ask your doctor about taking over-the-counter medication. Acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin, may help with hip pain.
• Go low impact — We all know how important regular exercise is. And when you’re trying to reduce hip pain, low-impact exercises can help alleviate the pain while strengthening the affected muscles for increased joint support. Exercises like walking or yoga can reduce the pressure placed on your hip joints that’s contributing to your pain.

Rehab Access can help alleviate recurring hip pain from sleeping on your side

While it’s not unusual to change sleeping positions now and then, many people sleep the same way for years. If you’re a side sleeper who has recurring hip pain when you wake up, you might need further support beyond the tips we shared in this post.

At Rehab Access, we can help treat your hip pain with a personalized treatment plan. Potential courses of action that we may include are targeted exercises and manual therapy. 

Call us or request an appointment today to alleviate hip pain from sleeping on your side.