How to sleep with broken ribs
Sleeping upright or on the injured side helps most people, and the breathing exercises matter more than the position.
Seek urgent medical help if
You are short of breath, or breathing is getting harder rather than easier.
You have chest pain that is worsening, or pain in the shoulder tip.
You cough up blood, or develop a fever or productive cough, which can indicate a chest infection.
You feel faint, confused, or your lips look blue.
Rib injuries can be associated with lung injury, which may develop over hours or days. This page is general information and not a substitute for medical assessment.
Rib fractures are usually managed with pain relief and breathing exercises rather than strapping or surgery, and they typically take around six weeks to heal, with discomfort sometimes lasting longer.
Sleep is one of the hardest parts, because lying flat increases pressure on the chest and every involuntary movement hurts.
Positions that tend to help
Upright or semi-upright. The most commonly recommended, because it reduces pressure on the chest and makes breathing easier. A wedge, a stack of pillows behind the back and shoulders, or a recliner.
On the injured side. Counterintuitive and it helps many people, because it splints the injury and lets the uninjured side expand freely.
On your back with knees supported, using a pillow under the knees to take tension off the lower back if you are lying flatter.
Avoid rolling onto the uninjured side if it pulls on the injury, and use a pillow wedged behind your back to stop you turning in your sleep.
There is no single correct position. Whichever lets you breathe comfortably is the right one, and it is worth experimenting early rather than enduring one that does not work.
Practical setup
A wedge or several firm pillows behind the back and shoulders, supporting the whole torso rather than just the head. A short steep wedge folds you at the mid back, which is uncomfortable; a long shallow slope raises the torso as a unit.
Use less head pillow than usual if you are propped up, because the wedge has already raised your shoulders and adding a normal pillow pushes the chin toward the chest.
Raising the head of the bed on sturdy risers is an alternative that tilts torso and neck together and does not slide, which some people find better than a wedge.
A pillow to hold against the chest when you cough, sneeze or move. Bracing the injury reduces the pain sharply and is the single most useful practical tip here.
Plan getting out of bed: roll onto your side as a unit, drop your legs over the edge, and push up with your arms rather than sitting up from flat.
The breathing exercises matter more than the position
Why this is the important part
When breathing hurts, people breathe shallowly and avoid coughing. That allows secretions to collect at the base of the lungs, which is how chest infections and pneumonia develop after rib injuries, particularly in older adults.
Deep breathing is not optional recovery advice. It is the thing that prevents the main complication.
A commonly taught pattern is ten slow deep breaths every hour while awake, holding briefly at the top, followed by a supported cough with a pillow held against the chest.
Follow the specific instructions you were given, and if you were not given any, ask. A GP, hospital team or physiotherapist can set this out properly, and some patients are given an incentive spirometer.
Do not strap or bind the chest. It restricts breathing and increases infection risk, and it is no longer recommended despite still being widely suggested.
Pain relief and timing
Good pain control is what makes the breathing exercises possible, so the two are connected.
Take pain relief as prescribed and before bed, timed so it is working when you settle rather than taken once you are already in pain.
Follow the advice you were given about what to take. Do not exceed stated doses, and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure what is safe alongside other medication.
If the pain is not controlled well enough to breathe deeply, that is a reason to go back to a clinician rather than to endure it, because uncontrolled pain is what leads to the complications above.
What the bed can and cannot do
This site sells bedding, so it is worth being direct: do not buy a mattress because of a rib injury. It is a temporary condition and a mattress is a ten year purchase.
What genuinely helps is support, pillows and positioning, all of which are cheap or free. A wedge, a firm pillow to brace against, and a way to stop rolling.
If your mattress is genuinely too firm at the shoulder and hip, that will be more noticeable while you are injured, and a topper is the cheaper intervention. Check the mattress is sound first: lay a straight edge across it and measure the deepest gap, because over about 25 millimetres it is finished regardless.
And expect this to improve. Most people find sleep gets easier well before the six weeks are up.
Related reading
Comfort while healing
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Questions people ask
What is the best position to sleep in with broken ribs?
Upright or semi-upright is most commonly recommended, because it reduces pressure on the chest and makes breathing easier. Sleeping on the injured side helps many people by splinting it. Whichever lets you breathe comfortably is the right one.
Should I strap my ribs?
No. Strapping or binding the chest restricts breathing and increases the risk of chest infection, and it is no longer recommended despite still being widely suggested.
Why are breathing exercises important with broken ribs?
Because shallow breathing and avoiding coughing let secretions collect at the base of the lungs, which is how chest infections and pneumonia develop after rib injuries. Deep breathing prevents the main complication.
When should I seek urgent help with a rib injury?
If you are short of breath or breathing is getting harder, chest pain is worsening, you cough up blood, develop a fever or productive cough, or feel faint or confused. Rib injuries can be associated with lung injury developing over hours or days.