Does it ever seem like your shoulders start to creep up toward your ears whenever you’re feeling stressed? Or does a tough day at work always seem to end with a nagging tension headache? If so, then you’re definitely not alone. Neck and shoulder pain is quite common in the general population, especially among people who experience high levels of stress.
It’s no wonder that expressions like “carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders” came to be, or people tend to describe challenging situations or difficult people as “pain in the necks.” Many of us carry our stress directly in our necks and shoulders, which can lead to muscle tension, pain, and headaches.
The Stress Response
Why does mental and emotional stress often appear in the head and neck? To understand why stress is linked to neck and shoulder pain, it’s helpful to consider “the stress response.”
When we face stress, our bodies go through reactions meant to protect us. These reactions can also lead to muscle tension, poor posture, and chronic discomfort.
Our neurological and hormonal systems activate when we experience stress, including stress from work, relationships, finances, or global events. This activation releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, leading to various physical symptoms.
Stress Response Symptoms
Everyone experiences stress differently, but it can affect almost all body systems. For example, stress can cause:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Increased blood pressure
- Tense and labored breathing
- Digestive issues
- Trembling
How It Leads to Shoulder and Neck Pain
Stress also strongly impacts the muscular system, causing muscles to tighten and contract. The neck and shoulders are one of the most common areas where muscles tighten due to stress. The higher your stress levels and the longer you remain in a high-stress state, the more neck and shoulder tension you may experience.
Symptoms of Shoulder and Neck Stress
When stress affects your neck and shoulders, you might experience various uncomfortable and disruptive symptoms. These can include:
- Achy, tense feelings in the neck or shoulders
- Stiffness in the neck
- Discomfort when touching your neck and shoulders or when turning your head
- A tight feeling in your neck or shoulders
- Possible jaw clenching or tension, and even back pain
Tension in the neck and shoulders can also contribute to headache symptoms. People with stress that goes to their neck and shoulders are prone to tension headaches and migraines.
Tips for Relieving Stress in Shoulders and Neck
Stress in the shoulders and neck can lead to serious pain, so managing your stress is one of the most powerful ways to decrease your symptoms. Thankfully, there are many effective ways to reduce stress in life. Let’s look at a few.
Physical Exercise
Physical exercise of any kind is known to reduce stress. Regular exercisers may have lower heart rates than sedentary individuals and often have more balanced, stable moods.
Just 30 minutes a day of any type of movement that you enjoy can make a difference.
Studies have shown that yoga specifically can decrease stress levels. As a bonus, many yoga poses allow you to stretch your neck and shoulder muscles to release tension.
Meditation
Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help you learn to recognize stressful thoughts so that you can let them go and not let them dominate your life. This, in turn, can reduce stress in your body, and reduce stress-related symptoms like neck and shoulder pain.
Research backs up the power of meditation on stress relief. For example, a 2021-study found that people who participated in a 6-week mindfulness program experienced decreased levels of perceived stress, as well as increased engagement at work.
Getting Enough Sleep
You are probably aware that getting enough sleep increases your energy levels and ability to concentrate. You are also probably cognizant of the fact that increased stress levels can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. But what you may not know is that lack of sleep in and of itself can contribute to elevated levels of stress.
So, simply making it a strong habit to go to sleep on time can blunt some of the stress in your life.
Therapy
Therapy can help you deal with serious mental health conditions and help you work through traumas. But it can also help you better manage the common life stresses that all of us experience.
Most types of therapy that help you manage stress work by making you become more mindful of your thoughts and how they affect your feelings and physical reactions to stress.
Therapy types known to combat stress include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).
When You Need Immediate Relief
As you wait for your stress levels to decrease, you might be looking for more immediate pain relief. Besides managing your stress levels, you can speak to your healthcare provider for medication options for relieving neck and shoulder pain.
You can also consider using hot or cold packs to provide relief. Gentle neck stretching can also be helpful. But for some people, resting the neck and shoulders and decreasing physical activity for a few days works best.
When to Call Your Healthcare Provider
It’s important to distinguish between neck and shoulder pain or tension related to stress and symptoms that may be signs of a serious medical condition.
Concerning symptoms may include:
- A stiff neck and headache accompanied by a fever, which could be a sign of meningitis
- Neck or shoulder pain, along with loss of bladder or bowel control, indicating possible pressure on your spinal cord
- Signs of a physical injury, such as instability in your joints, or an unusual ability to move your head back and forth more than expected
- Neck pain along with swollen neck glands, indicating a possible infection or tumor
- Neck pain accompanied by chest pain or pressure, which are possible signs of a heart attack
Get Emergency Support
If you or a loved one are experiencing signs of a potentially life-threatening condition, please seek medical care immediately.
Takeaways
Experiencing neck and shoulder pain due to stress can be extremely uncomfortable and even debilitating at times. The good news is that neck and shoulder pain due to stress responds well to basic stress management techniques such as exercise, therapy, and meditation. You’ve got this.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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