Feeling Stiff When You Wake Up? Find Out What You Can Do to Prevent the Problem
Morning stiffness is more than just an annoyance. Loss of flexibility can lead to injuries that cause pain for days or weeks. Determining why you feel stiff is the first step in improving flexibility. Stiffness can be caused by these common issues:
Awkward Sleeping Position
Sleeping on your side is the best way to avoid back pain, according to the Sleep Foundation, while sleeping on your back is the second-best position. Sleeping on your stomach isn't recommended, as this position can stress muscles and tissues in your back, neck, and shoulder and cause subluxations (spinal misalignments).
Do you sleep on your side or back and still feel stiff in the morning? The problem could be the way you sleep. Keeping your spine properly aligned is the key to avoiding pain and stiffness. Twisting your hips while you sleep or arching your back could be the reason you feel stiff.
What You Can Do. Placing a small pillow between your knees improves the alignment of your hips, pelvis, and spine if you prefer to sleep on your side. If you sleep on your back, the best pillow position is beneath your knees. A pillow under your hips may improve stiffness if you're a stomach sleeper and can't adjust to sleeping on your back or side.
Lack of Movement
Muscles and tissues naturally become a little stiffer if you don't move them for hours. Stiffness can also be affected by the height of your spinal discs. While you sleep, your spinal discs absorb fluids from your tissues, increasing their height. Plump discs make your back feel tighter in the morning and may be more likely to cause pain if you already have a back issue.
Synovial fluid circulates around joints and lubricates them, making movement easy and painless. Remaining in the same position for hours slows synovial fluid circulation, which can lead to stiffness.
What You Can Do. Movement improves fluid circulation, but first thing in the morning isn't the ideal time to jump into a vigorous exercise routine. Avoid quick movements that could strain your muscles and tissues. Stretch your arms and roll your neck from side-to-side before you slowly rise from your bed. Once you're out of bed, perform a few gentle stretches to improve flexibility and range of motion. Looking for a simple stretching exercise? Try raising your arms above your head and then extending them to the sides, or lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest to stretch your back.
Unsupportive Mattress
A mattress that doesn't adequately support your spine could be the reason for morning pain and stiffness. Although manufacturers claim mattresses should last seven to 10 years, that's not always the case. Mattresses can become uncomfortable after just a few months or may last 15 years, depending on the construction and quality of the mattress.
What You Can Do. If your mattress sags or just doesn't feel comfortable any more, it's time to replace it, no matter how long you've had it.
Dehydration
Do you avoid drinking water after a certain point in the day because you don't want to make midnight trips to the bathroom? Dehydration can affect fluid levels of the discs that cushion the vertebrae in your spine.
What You Can Do. Drink water throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Yes, you might need to visit the bathroom during the night, but you just may feel less stiff in the morning.
Aging
Stiffness may also be related to aging, as muscles and tendons naturally become more rigid with age. According to the European Journal of Translational Myology, stiffness can be due to a decline of muscle contractile force (the amount of force a muscle produces).
What You Can Do. Although you can't turn back the clock, performing stretches before you go to bed and when you first wake up could reduce stiffness. Hot showers and exercises that build strong muscles may also be helpful.
Struggling with stiffness? Your chiropractor offers treatments, exercises and strategies that can help you move more easily. Contact our office to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Sleep Foundation: Best Sleeping Positions, 7/25/2025
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions
Spine Health Foundation: 30 Tips for Spine Health Prevention & Wellness, 10/17/2024
https://spinehealth.org/article/spine-health-wellness/
Cleveland Clinic: Muscle Stiffness, 7/20/2023
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/25147-muscle-stiffness
American Chiropractic Association: Joint Health
https://www.acatoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ACA_JointHealth_2023.pdf
PMC: European Journal of Translational Myology: Increase of Resting Muscle Stiffness, a Less Considered Component of Age-Related Skeletal Muscle Impairment, 6/17/2020
