Night time shoulder pain exposed

For many people, shoulder pain shows up at night. They’re fine all day—working, cooking, moving around—and yet, the moment they lie down, the discomfort begins. Strange, right? You’d think rest would help the pain, not make it worse.

Neuroscience explains why we feel pain at night

From a neuroscience perspective, it actually makes perfect sense.

Throughout the day, our nervous system maintains a habitual neuromuscular pattern—the way we hold ourselves against gravity. When we lie down, we bring that same pattern with us. If we’ve been bracing, tensing, or holding our shoulders tight to “stay upright” all day, that tension doesn’t just vanish when our head hits the pillow. The brain doesn’t automatically recognize, “Oh, we’re horizontal now, time to let go.” It’s like carrying a heavy backpack all day and forgetting to take it off at night—your body’s still working even when it should be resting.

In fact, studies show that chronic muscle tension can increase nervous system arousal and delay the onset of sleep. One 2019 study published in the Journal of Pain Research found that people with persistent musculoskeletal tension experienced up to 30% more nighttime awakenings than those with relaxed movement patterns. Your body literally can’t settle because your nervous system hasn’t learned how to switch off.

When we consistently loose sleep, its natural that we turn to pain management strategies like pills, an army of body pillows, or continuously fidgeting to find the perfect sleeping position or even timing our workouts for later in the day when we’re not so stiff. These are ok as a short term coping strategy, but continuously adapting to stiff bodies as a long-term strategy isn’t a vehicle for change.

From coping to changing: Strategies that outperform pain management

True, lasting relief comes from learning coordinated movement that helps the body release tension instead of just managing it. Imagine your movement system as a beautifully designed Swiss watch—each gear turning smoothly, precisely, and in harmony with the others. No grit, no rust, no unnecessary friction. That’s what happens when your muscles and joints learn to coordinate efficiently. Effort flows only where it’s needed and releases when it’s not.

Such a nervous system is adaptable and resilient. When you lie down, it quickly recognizes the change in orientation and releases the muscles that worked to keep you upright. You rest deeply. You wake refreshed. You move easily. And that easy movement reinforces better sleep the next night—a virtuous cycle of rest and resilience.

So what can you do about it?

You can retrain your body and nervous system through gentle, intelligent sensory movement—a practice that teaches coordination rather than force, awareness rather than effort. It’s like cleaning the grit out of your gears so everything runs smoothly again.

This is what we’ve been doing in the Shoulder Masterclass. Every week, we explore one key relationship of our shoulder with the rest of our bodies. As the relationship gets clearer for the brain, your body learns to move efficiently and without tension.

Here’s what some of the participants shared:

“I am sleeping better! My sleep posture has also improved, leading to reduced stiffness and pain in right elbow. I am more aware of the full range of movement in my shoulders when I workout. The insights I’m gaining will also help me in the future.”

“There is greater symmetry in my shoulders and the tension releases with each class.”

“My left shoulder is moving better. It is easier to extend and I can reach above my head without pain.”

If this is resonating with you and you’d like to have a conversation about how I could support you, Please reach out via this form. I’d love to hear from you!