Several factors can cause shoulder pain like tendonitis, muscle tears, arthritis, adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder. You can try these specific tips to try and alleviate the pain when you go to bed.

Before going to bed, you can take specific actions to help with your shoulder pain.

1. Do shoulder and hip stretches to relieve any tightness or achyness.
2. Use a cold or ice pack on your shoulder to decrease inflammation before bedtime. 
3. Rest the shoulder by avoiding aggravating movements so it does not get too inflamed when you sleep at night.
4. Use a shoulder tape or strap to stabilize the shoulder.
5. Take an anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by your doctor to decrease the pain when you sleep.

Once you are in bed, you can try several methods to support your shoulder, head, and neck and avoid unnecessary stress on the inflamed area.

1. If the pain is on one side, you can sleep on the other side. Hug a pillow in front of you to prevent the raised shoulder from slumping forward and compressing the internal structures. That helps to stabilize the position of the shoulder, too. Use another pillow or a rolled towel behind you. That stops you from moving into an uncomfortable posture.
2. If you prefer sleeping on your back, place a pillow or a rolled towel right under the elbow at the side of the affected shoulder. That lifts your arm and positions the ball into the shoulder socket better. The muscles and other ligaments are allowed to rest in this position.
3. Avoid sleeping on your stomach if you are suffering from shoulder pain.

Stretching your shoulder can help reduce the pain during the day and while you sleep. Ideal stretches to help with your shoulder pain include:

1. Shoulder Rolls – Rotate your shoulders forward 10 times, and then rotate them back 10 times. Keep the movements small and your arms relaxed by your side.
2. Shoulder Shrugs – Shrug both your shoulders towards your ears, then gently lower them to starting position. Do not overexert your shoulder and neck muscles while doing this.

Your nighttime hip pain can come from ailments like bursitis, sciatica, tendonitis, or arthritis. The added pressure on the hips for pregnant women can cause hip pain, too, especially during the final trimester.

To manage hip pain when you sleep, you should:

Sleep on Your Side

When sleeping on your side, you can try placing a pillow between the knees and ankles. Resting one leg on top of another without any support can lead to hip pain. That slightly separates your legs which takes away the stress from your hips.

Sleep on Your Back

You can place a pillow beneath both of your knees when sleeping on your back. That elevation will release the tension on your lower back and front of your hips.

Before Going to Bed

Like with shoulder pain, you can address hip pain before going to sleep by reducing the inflammation. Do not overexert yourself. Get some rest, and doing light stretching can give you hip pain-free nights.

You do not have to live with pain when you sleep. The proper position and posture can help greatly. If you need more help, though, you can always seek the advice of an expert.

For more recommendation on sleeping with hip and shoulder pain check out our articles: Best Mattress For Side Sleepers.