Why Nerve Pain Can Be Worse After a Night’s Sleep
Ever noticed that nerve pain, tingling, or sciatica feels worse when you first wake up?
You’re not alone — this is a common experience for many people with back or neck issues.
The reason often comes down to how your spinal discs behave overnight. While you rest, your discs rehydrate and change shape slightly, which can temporarily increase pressure around nearby nerves.
How Your Spinal Discs Change Overnight
Between each bone in your spine sits a disc — a soft, cushioning structure that helps absorb pressure and allows movement.
During the day, gravity and body weight gently squeeze fluid out of these discs. At night, when you’re lying down, your spine gets a break — and your discs soak that fluid back up.
MRI studies show that spinal discs can increase in height by around 10% overnight as they rehydrate (Malko et al., 2002). This is completely normal and helps keep your spine healthy and hydrated.
Why This Can Make Nerve Symptoms Worse
If you have a disc bulge or nerve irritation, those overnight changes can make your symptoms feel worse in the morning.
Here’s how:
More pressure on the nerve: As discs rehydrate, they expand slightly. If one is already bulging toward a nerve root, that small increase in size can mean more morning irritation.
Higher pressure inside the disc: Lying down all night increases internal disc pressure. When you bend or twist quickly in the morning, the disc can push more on sensitive areas.
Morning stiffness: After resting, muscles and joints are a little tighter. Combined with a swollen disc, this can make early movement more uncomfortable.
Simple Tips to Help Morning Nerve Pain
Take your time getting up
Sit on the edge of the bed first, move gently, and allow your body to adjust before standing.
Avoid heavy bending or lifting early
Let your discs and joints settle before tackling physical tasks.
Supportive sleep positions
Try a pillow under your knees (on your back) or between your knees (on your side) to ease spinal pressure.
Gentle morning movement
Stretch, walk, or do light mobility exercises to reduce stiffness and balance fluid in the discs.
Seek professional help
If nerve pain, tingling, or weakness persists, a chiropractor can assess and guide you safely through recovery. However, if you ever experience increasing numbness, leg or arm weakness, or bowel/bladder changes, seek professional medical care promptly.
Your spinal discs lose water during the day and re-absorb it overnight.
For most people, that’s a healthy process. But if a disc is irritated or bulging, that rehydration can put a bit more pressure on a nerve — making pain or tingling worse when you first get up.
The good news? With the right advice, movement, and care, you can reduce morning stiffness, calm nerve irritation, and get moving comfortably again.
References
Malko JA et al. In vivo MRI study of diurnal changes in disc volume. 2002.Liu C et al. Diurnal variation in hydration of the cervical intervertebral discs. 2022.Zander T et al. Diurnal variations in intervertebral disc height affect flexibility and pressure. 2016.Martin JT et al. Regional diurnal deformation patterns in lumbar discs. 2022.
