If your sleeping position is causing back pain or neck pain, a few easy changes to the way you lie in bed can make a huge difference!
Are you waking up feeling worse than what you did before you went to bed? Many people, regardless of their age and physical well-being, wake up in the morning feeling sore and stiff. If popping a painkiller first thing in the morning is a ritual, your sleeping position might be to blame.
Even though you may find a certain position in bed to be comfortable at the time, it may be putting extra pressure on your neck, back, shoulders and hips while you sleep. This can can all lead to stiffness, soreness, and pain when we wake up.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a miracle cure or a perfect position for each individual to sleep, and we can’t eliminate pain for everyone. However, you can change your sleep position until you find the one that is right for you.
Here are two of the best, and worst, sleep positions according to many experts.
The Best
1) Sleeping flat on your back, while keeping your body aligned straight. I like to also put a small pillow underneath my legs/knees. For extra support, put a small pillow underneath the curve of the low back. This helps lower stress on your joints and ligaments, while helping to maintain the natural curve of your spine. This is ideal position for sleeping.
2) Sleeping on your side would come as the second best choice. You’ll want your legs pulled up slightly towards your chest and a pillow between your knees. For extra support, you can place a pillow underneath your side. This will allow the body to stay in a more natural posture, and help prevent extra pressure on your back, neck, and shoulders.
Both of the above examples are the suggested positions for sleeping. You may find that you still get some pain and/or stiffness when waking up. This is common if you maintain the same position for long periods of time, and comes down to making sure you also have the right mattress.
The Worst
1) Try to NEVER sleep on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach flattens the natural curve of the spine, which can lead to low back pain. Also, sleeping all night with the head twisted to one side strains the neck. If you absolutely cannot break this habit, putting a pillow underneath the stomach will help support the spine and may lessen morning pain.
2) The half-belly sleeper. This is when you lie half on your side, half on your stomach. Usually, people will put one leg higher than the other to try and make it more comfortable. It is like sleeping on your stomach, but twists and puts pressure on the pelvis as well. While not as bad as completely sleeping on your stomach, it will still lead to the same problems.
A couple tips to help you not sleep in these positions: try using pillows to gradually train the body to sleep on one side. If you’d like a more extreme route, wear a top that has pockets and insert a tennis ball into each one. The tennis ball will make rolling onto your stomach an uncomfortable experience and make you roll back into a more natural position.
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