I stopped waking up with shoulder pain after one change

For the longest time I thought waking up with a sore shoulder was just part of being a side sleeper. Every morning I'd spend the first few minutes trying to stretch it out before I could even make coffee.

I was convinced I needed a new mattress, but before spending a ton of money I decided to swap my old pillow for one that actually kept my head and neck in a better position.

I honestly didn't expect much.

After about a week I realized I wasn't waking up reaching for my shoulder anymore. It wasn't some overnight miracle, but the pain slowly stopped showing up. I guess my old pillow had flattened so much that my shoulder was taking all the pressure.

Now I pay way more attention to my pillow than I ever did before. Funny how I spent months blaming my mattress when the fix ended up being way simpler.

Not saying this is gonna solve everyone's shoulder pain, but if you're waking up sore every day and your pillow is older than you can remember... might be worth checking that first.