7 Easy Ways to Relieve Pain in Hip During Sleep

Find the Right Position

• Sleep on your side: You may turn and toss in bed to determine a comfortable position while sleeping. Some physicians recommend sleeping on your side in case you have pain in your hip. Ensure to avoid sleeping on the painful side. Take your knees towards the body. Put a pillow in between your legs. This will better maintain the alignment of your spine, pelvis and hips. If there is no difference in the pain immediately, keep on experimenting to find the height of the pillow that is best for your hips.

• Lean back upon a blanket or pillow: You may tweak the above mentioned position slightly by placing a pillow beneath the small of back and by being on the side, lean back upon the pillow. This position will take the pressure away from the hips. This position is especially beneficial for pregnant females who develop pain in hip during third trimester when there is relaxation and stretching of connective tissue in preparation of birth. A pillow may also be used by them to support the abdomen. They can also use a rolled up blanket beneath the small of back.

• Alternate your sleeping position by sleeping on the back: How to relieve hip pain while sleeping? According to some studies muscle pain and imbalance may result due to always sleeping on same side. Hence, you should change your position by sleeping on your back. It is usually the healthiest position to sleep as it decreases pressure points and distributes weight evenly. Don’t sleep on the stomach as this is very stressful to the neck. While sleeping on the back, put a pillow under your neck. Also put a pillow beneath your thighs so as to provide support to your hips.

• Put a pad beneath the joint: You should use extra blanket or thin pillow under the painful joint to relieve the pressure from it. You can also wear sweatpants or thick pajamas to bed.

Choose a Firm Mattress

A firm and good mattress is the foundation. It helps align the body and give support to the hips. Consult with your orthopedic specialist or physician regarding the type of mattress that will provide you best sleep and support. A firm mattress will provide you more support in comparison to softer one; however, ensure that the mattress is not very hard. Add a pad of foam to mattress top to evenly distribute weight and increase support.

Don’t use mattresses in which metal springs are present internally. Pressure points are created by these inner springs particularly for people who sleep on side and on joints such as hip. Instead use a mattress with memory foam, which helps in distributing your weight more evenly.

Maintain an Optimum Sleep Schedule

It may be quite uncomfortable to sleep with hip pain. How to relieve hip pain while sleeping? Maintain a healthy schedule of sleep. Maximize your sleep time and aim for at least seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Wake up and go to bed at same time every day. Maintaining this rhythm is vital. Try to keep your wake up time normal even if you had poor sleep. Ensure that the bed is comfortable and your room is cool, dark and quite. Start unwinding a couple of hours before bedtime. For instance, take a shower, dim the lights, play soothing music. Avoid caffeinated beverages. Turn off all electronic devices. Sleep patterns may be disrupted by backlit screens.

Put Ice on Your Painful Hip at Night Before Sleeping

In some cases, pain in hip may be caused due to swelling of bursa-a fluid filled sac which forms a cushion to your joints. In case you suffer from an inflammatory medical illness, you may put an ice pack on the painful hip for around 20 minutes before sleeping. Remember to wrap ice pack in a thin cloth or paper towel. Never place an ice pack or ice directly on the skin or you may develop frostbite. Also make sure to use an ice pack for 20 minutes at a time and take a break after that and let the skin return to normal temperature.

Do Stretches of Hip Before Sleeping

How to relieve hip pain while sleeping? Doing stretches of hip are particularly important if you have lower back and hip pain. This could imply that you have tight muscles as the cause of your pain. Discuss with your physician about the stretches that you can do.

Change the Activities That You Do

Hip pain at night often occurs due to activities done during day. You may reduce the pain by changing or varying your activities. This may completely relieve the pain. Or it may provide you some time to do strengthening exercises of the hip so as to prevent having pain in future.

You can change your activities in the following way:

• Try cross training such as biking or swimming.

• Focus on activities that have low impact, particularly if you have osteoarthritis of hip.

• Work on strengthening your core by doing Pilates, yoga, etc.

Get Massage

Sometimes pain in hip may be caused due to tight and sore muscles surrounding hip joint. This tension may be relieved by having a few massage sessions. You can begin with a 30 minutes massage session to get relief. Remember that you may take 3-5 sessions to see some difference in pain.

When Should You Visit a Physician?

If you are not able to sleep regularly due to hip pain, you should visit your physician. They may do a physical exam and check for swelling and tenderness around the hip. They may also check range of motion of hips to assess signs of tendonitis and arthritis. Decreased range of motion implies arthritis. Fluid or blood samples may be taken or X-rays may be ordered to rule out multiple conditions.

You should go to an emergency care center if your hip pain is the result of an injury. You should also seek emergency care if you develop any of the following symptoms:

• A joint deformity

• Inability to move hip or leg

• Unable to put weight on leg with soreness in hip

• Sudden swelling or intense pain in hip

• Chills, fever, redness or other signs that suggest an infection