Hip pain at night can make it more difficult to sleep, but the effects don’t stop there.
It will also help you understand possible treatments and ways to prevent hip pain in the future.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
Causes of Sleep Pain
Hip pain can emerge for various reasons.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
But some people experience chronic pain in their hip joints fromosteoarthritis, bursitis, or other conditions.
In fact, around 20% of people over the age of 65 report chronic hip pain.
When your hip joints swell or become inflamed, the pain and stiffness can disrupt your sleep.
Chronic pain can lead to symptoms ofburningor aching, or the feeling of pins and needles (parasthesia).
Sleeping Position
Your sleep position may contribute to your hip pain.
That’s not uncommon for people who sleep on either their left or right sides.
These sleeping positions can affect the body’s alignment and place stress on joints.
Apillow or paddingplaced at the knees can help to lift the top leg.
It’s very common for sleep disruptions to affect people with stage 4 hip osteoarthritis.
Like osteoarthritis,rheumatoid arthritisis a chronic condition.
However, RA doesnt involve the aging or weathering of joint tissue.
Instead, patients with RA have an autoimmune condition that attacks the tissue in their joints.
RA symptoms can progress over time, but many patients experience pain in their hips and groin.
This pain can contribute to insomnia and other sleep issues.
Treatment for these long-term conditions is available but they cannot be completely reversed.
A healthcare provider can help you manage your individual symptoms and cope with your hip pain.
Bursitis
Hip bursitis can cause similar symptoms to arthritis, but bursitis is a temporary condition.
Instead, the bursa becomes inflamed.
The bursa is a sac of fluid that cushions joints throughout the body, including at the hip.
The inflammation near the outside of the hip can be quite painful.
Bursitis is more common in sports enthusiasts, dancers, and other active people, as are stress fractures.
Physical therapy is commonly used to treat hip bursitis.
They also affect sleep.
They range from immediate actions, like taking an over-the-counter pain medication, to long-term interventions.
But there are things it’s possible for you to do to avoid hip pain.
It may happen because of a simple stress injury that resolves quickly with rest and over-the-counter pain relief.
While there are many causes for hip pain, your healthcare provider can help you with a diagnosis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cancer that affects the hip can cause hip pain.
The best or preferredsleeping positionfor hip pain will differ from one person to another.
Try placing a pillow between your knees when sleeping this way.
National Library of Medicine.Sleep disorders.
Domenichiello AF, Ramsden CE.The silent epidemic of chronic pain in older adults.Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry.
2019;11:163-171. doi:10.2147/OARRR.S201556
Kiel J, Kaiser K.Stress reaction and fractures.StatPearls.
StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
Lespasio MJ.Lateral hip pain: relation to greater trochanteric pain syndrome.Perm J.
2022;18(2):434-443. doi:10.13004/kjnt.2022.18.e29
American College of Rheumatology.Exercise and arthritis.
2018;8596918. doi:10.1155/2018/8596918
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Hip arthritis.