There may be dozens of reasons why your neck hurts and unless you were born with a structural issue on your spine (ie scoliosis) or have recently suffered some form of trauma (ie. fall, car accident) or have been diagnosed with a medical condition (osteoporosis) the chances are that your neck pain is caused by your day to day activities (ie deskbound job/looking down at your mobile phone/awkward sleeping position, etc).  Neck pain is often a warning sign that your cervical spine is put under strain so it is important to identify and avoid the pain triggers to prevent a more serious injury: a slipped disc.