Shoulder Pain at Night: Why It Happens and What You Can Do About It

Shoulder pain at night is one of the most common complaints we hear in physical therapy. You may feel relatively comfortable during the day, only to have pain flare up when you lie down, roll onto that side, or reach for a different sleeping position.

Common causes include rotator cuff irritation, shoulder impingement, stiffness, arthritis, or irritation of the tissues around the shoulder joint. Sleeping directly on the painful shoulder can also compress sensitive structures and make symptoms worse.

A Few Things That May Help

Change your sleeping position.
Try sleeping on your back or on the opposite side with a pillow supporting the painful arm. Keeping the arm slightly away from your body can sometimes reduce pressure on the shoulder.

Cross-body stretch.
Bring the affected arm gently across your chest and use your opposite arm to pull it closer. You should feel a stretch in the back of the shoulder. Hold for about 20–30 seconds without forcing it.

Sleeper stretch.
Lie on the affected side with your shoulder and elbow bent to about 90 degrees. Using the opposite hand, gently rotate the forearm toward the bed until you feel a mild stretch in the back of the shoulder. This stretch should be gentle—do not push into pain.

Keep the shoulder moving.
Avoiding all shoulder movement can sometimes make stiffness worse. Gentle, comfortable movement throughout the day is usually better than completely resting the arm.

When Should You Get It Checked?

​If shoulder pain is consistently waking you up, getting progressively worse, limiting your ability to reach or lift, or not improving after a couple of weeks, it may be worth having it evaluated.

A physical therapist can determine whether the problem is primarily coming from stiffness, weakness, the rotator cuff, or another structure—and help you address the underlying cause rather than just finding a better sleeping position.