It’s understandable that you may not always be able to eliminate every behavior that could contribute to neck pain. You’re probably even aware that some of your every day tasks might impact your neck complaints, but there are almost always strategies to help. Here are 5 tips that can help alleviate neck pain.

1. Reduce Screen Time. Most people rely on their phones or tablets for work, communication, and entertainment. However, taking frequent breaks to relieve your neck muscles can go a long way in reducing the stress caused by prolonged devices usage. Aim to take a break every 20-30 minutes to do something else and/or stretch to relieve tension.
2. Improve Your Sleep While it may not be possible for everyone to completely change their sleeping habits, the truth of the matter is most “healing” happens when we sleep. The tiny cellular and immune system processes involved in repairing a human body are most active during sleep when more energy can be dedicated to the process. Investing in high quality sleep could mean anything from upgrading to bedding that makes you more comfortable, figuring out which noise cancelling device work for you, or restructuring your pre-bedtime routine.
3. Pack Smart. We all know that carrying heavy loads on one shoulder can cause harm to your neck muscles. When packing your bag to leave the house make sure you do your best to distribute the weight evenly between both shoulders or consider using a backpack that evenly distributes weight across your back.
4. Vary Your Work Tasks. Sitting for long periods of time can be harmful to your neck muscles, but changing tasks or positions regularly can help reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries. For example if you work at a computer most of the day see if you can implement different styles and brands of keyboards, mice, and other input hardware; and take breaks every hour to stand up, stretch, and move around.
5. Seek Medical Attention for Persistent or Severe Neck Pain. You never know when persistent neck pain might be something more. Ignoring neck pain can lead to continued flare up or even in some cases serious long-term harm, so it’s important to seek medical attention if your pain is severe or persistent.

It may not always be possible to completely eliminate behaviors that contribute to neck pain, but taking steps to reduce harm can still make a big difference. By implementing these strategies, you can limit behaviors that might be contributing to your neck pain and improve your overall quality of life.