There’s nothing more annoying than waking up to a crick on your neck. This literal pain in your neck makes it difficult to move. Even something as simple as turning your head to talk to your friend seem like an enormous task.
Neck pain is caused by several reasons like stress, bad sleeping position or even lying on a very soft mattress. Whatever the reason,you’d want this sharp ache to go away fast. Here are some remedies you can do:
Do Slow Movement Exercises
One of the easiest and best remedies to neck pain is exercise. However, these exercises should be done slowly, with a short range of movement.
- Nod your head backward and forward. Then alternate with a side to side movement.
- Once you feel the muscles are less rigid, turn your head towards the left slowly. Then turn it towards the right. Take it slow as the movement will likely hurt.
- Do at least 20 repetitions of this exercise.
- Do the exercise every few hours until neck pain and stiffness disappears.
Massage Your Neck With Essential Oils
Mix together a few drops of basil oil, cypress oil, lavender oil, and peppermint oil with one teaspoon of warm olive oil. Massage the mixture on your neck for a few minutes. Apply this at least twice a day. Each essential oil used has distinct healing properties. Peppermint oil will soothe the muscles while the lavender will relieve stress and relax the mind. Basil oil is an analgesic and has antispasmodic properties that will reduce pain.Meanwhile, the cypress oil stimulates blood circulation.
Use Apple Cider Vinegar Compress
Soak a napkin in apple cider vinegar. Place it on your neck and leave it on for one to two hours. Apply ACV twice a day until the neck pain goes away. Apple cider vinegar is a great remedy for muscle stiffness. The anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants found in the vinegar will assist in reducing the stress in the neck’s muscles.
Ice It
Place ice cubes inside a towel and apply on the area that hurts. You can also use an ice pack. Leave it on for several minutes. The ice will relieve the soreness in the neck and will reduce the inflammation in the affected area.
Aside from doing these home remedies, you should also be mindful of habits that could be straining the muscles in your neck. You should also get enough exercise in. Step away from your desk and move around at least once per hour and pay attention to your posture. Mindfulness can go a long way to avoiding neck pain.
