Unfortunately, not a day goes by without an athlete making headlines due to a neck injury. Whether it’s the Colt’s Peyton Manning, the Eagle’s Michael Vick, the Twin’s Joe Mauer, the PGA’ s Steve Stricker, or the Red Sox’s Adrian Gonzalez – sports seem to be unequivocally…a pain in the neck.

Statistics are as high as to say that 2/3 of all adults will suffer from neck pain at some point in their lives – and if you are an athlete, the likelihood of injury increases.

When you consider an injury that can be caused by something as minor as sending too many text messages, yes, it makes sense that guys who play 160 ball games a year, or have 350-lb linemen slamming into them on a weekly basis might end up with some neck pain. In the wake of the NFL lockout, the injury risk to players was heavily discussed, especially the surge of brain and neck-related injuries.

The neck is an extremely vulnerable part of the body. Because the head, neck and spine are so closely connected, damage to one part often leads to pain in other parts. When a neck injury occurs, it is not uncommon for the patient to be simultaneously suffering from multiple injuries.

Perhaps the problem is that athletes aren’t taking initial neck injuries seriously enough. Whereas no athlete would even consider playing with a torn ACL or a broken bone, the inclination to play through a seemingly minor neck injury is much greater. The danger of this, however, is that a minor neck injury affects other parts of the spine and nervous system and before you know it, the athlete is sidelined with a serious neck injury.

What many might learn the hard way is that it is important to take ALL neck pains seriously.  Whether it’s stretching, icing, or just plain old-fashioned rest, heed your doctor’s advice. And while you are resting, make sure your head, neck and spine are in a normal, healthy position by using a waterbase pillow that will adjust to your movements and keep your head (and your neck) in the game.

A funny thing always happens to me when I go to sleep after excessive exercise: my dreams revolve around drinking copious amounts of beverages. I've dreamed of opening the refrigerator and drinking dozens of consecutive Gatorades, knocking over a vending machine and drinking everything inside and sitting down at the kitchen table and finishing an entire gallon of orange juice.

Riveting, I know. While the plot line is pretty lame, what makes these dreams interesting is that they show a clear link between how I'm feeling physically (very dehydrated) and what is going on in my mental dream state.

Dreams are difficult entities to study because of their subjectivity. You can't scientifically determine exactly what someone is dreaming, and thus interpretation can be biased by the interpreter. Dreams are also personal – the same dream might mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to another. Countless sleep studies, however, have sought out (and found) connections between physical factors and dreams.

For example, room temperature and body temperature can affect the quality of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is the sleep stage during which you dream. Elevated body temperature has been found to potentially increase nightmares. Additionally, several studies have found that the introduction of sounds while sleeping can also influence dreams.

Perhaps most interesting is that several studies have even found connections between sleep positions and dreams. One study, for example found that left side sleepers have more nightmares.

The good news about study findings suggesting that dreaming and sleep quality may be affected by factors such as temperature, noise and body posture, is that these are all factors that we can control. Start by getting yourself a brand new water pillow, which will adjust its waterbase as you move to keep your neck and spine in a normal, healthy position – eliminating pain and discomfort while sleeping.

While it doesn't seem possible to ever be in complete control of your dreams (which is part of their charm) if you make yourself as physically and emotionally comfortable as possible – eliminating as much physical and mental stress as you can – odds are, you are setting the stage for sweeter (and maybe less thirsty) dreams.

Neck pain can cause a lot of discomfort. When it is accompanied by a headache, then it may become unmanageable. Stiffness and heaviness can be felt in the entire neck area and it makes neck and head movements very difficult. Its intensity often varies from mild to severe, and it may last for weeks. If neck pain and headaches bother you constantly, then it can disrupt your daily routine.
Causes of Neck Pain and Headaches:

The most common cause has been found to be injury or sprain in the neck muscles. These muscles are attached to the base of the skull, so pain in these muscles often causes headaches. The neck muscles have high mobility and they don’t get much rest during the day, so they’re more likely to suffer strain due to overuse. Injuries may occur during twists and turns of the neck. Injuries to the head or neck can lead to stiff neck and headaches.

If you experience headache and neck pain after working for long hours on your computer, then it is probably associated with poor posture while sitting. Sleeping in a wrong position can also cause this problem. Mental stress may tense up the muscles in the neck area and give you a headache. Those who are dealing with sinusitis often complain about sore neck and headache. A herniated disc in the cervical spine can exert pressure on the surrounding soft tissues, resulting in chronic neck pain and headaches. Neck arthritis, migraine and fibromyalgia can be other causes of headaches and neck pain.


Treatment:

Application of ice on the neck can provide a soothing relief from the painful symptoms. A gentle massage of the neck muscles also proves to be useful.  Once the pain has subsided a bit, doctors recommend some neck pain exercises. Such exercises may be effective, not just for neck pain but also for headaches.  Bend the head to either side and hold the position for a few seconds. Then repeat the same on the other side. This will stretch the neck muscles and release the stiffness. Rotating the head slowly from one side to another in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction is a simple exercise that can add strength and flexibility to the neck muscles.

Neck pain and headaches is something you should never neglect. They can be prevented to a large extent, by maintaining good posture while sitting, standing or sleeping. While sleeping use a good quality cervical pillow.

An excellent pillow choice is the Mediflow waterbase Pillow. The water envelope sewn into the base of the pillow can be adjusted to provide exactly the right amount of support that you require, simply by adding water. A layer of polyester fiber fill floats over the waterbase to provide a comfortable night’s sleep.