Sleep Well

With World Sleep Day 2024 being on the 15th March, we thought it was a good opportunity to delve into how sleep positions affect your back.

As an experienced chiropractor many of the clients that visit our chiropractic clinic in Wincanton suffer from lower back pain when they wake up in the morning.  This is sometimes caused by their sleeping position or the poor quality of their mattress.  

Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it’s easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spine and enables your muscles to relax and recover.

Key Takeaways

•The ideal sleeping position promotes healthy spine alignment from your head to your hips.

•The best sleep position depends on your individual health, but back or side sleeping is considered better than stomach sleeping.

•Side sleeping is the most popular position as it may reduce snoring and heartburn and prevent back pain.

•Sleeping on your back is the second most common position and is best for neck pain and nasal congestion.

During sleep, your body works to restore and repair itself

Your sleep position can either help or hinder that process, depending on how effectively it supports the natural curvature of your spine. It’s also common for people to wake up with brand new aches and pains in the morning, sometimes due to sleep position.

We spend a third of our lives asleep or resting, so it’s important to choose a sleep position that assists your body with physical recovery. A proper sleep position can relieve stress on your spine, while an unhealthy position can increase pain or stiffness in the back, arms, or shoulders, all while contributing to lower-quality sleep.

What Is the Best Sleeping Position?

The best sleep position is one that promotes healthy spinal alignment from your hips all the way to your head. What that looks like for you depends on your personal health situation and what you find comfortable.

Having said that, there are some positions that are considered healthier than others. Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it’s easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spine and enables your muscles to relax and recover.

Different sleep positions provide different benefits that may be helpful for you if you’re dealing with back pain or a health condition. In these cases, it may be worth trying a new sleep position to enable more restful sleep. In one study, a group of adults with back pain were trained to sleep on their back or their side. They experienced significant pain relief in just four weeks.

Adjusting to a new sleep position takes time. However, if sleeping on your stomach feels good to you, don’t feel forced to change it. You can minimize your risk of pain and improve spinal alignment with the right mattress and pillow.

Sleeping on Your Side

More than 60% of people sleep on their side, with men spending more time on their sides each night than women. As children, we split our nights by sleeping in all positions equally, but by adulthood, a clear preference for side sleeping emerges. The flexibility of our spine decreases as we age, which may make the side sleeping position more comfortable for older adults.

Sleeping on your side offers several benefits. It promotes healthy spinal alignment and is the sleep position least likely to result in back pain, especially when supported with pillows. Side sleeping also may reduce heartburn and snoring

making it particularly beneficial for:

•Pregnant women

•People with acid reflux

•People with back pain

•People who snore or have sleep apnea

•Older people

The side sleeping position relieves the pressure of a growing belly, enabling the heart to pump and blood to flow easily throughout the body. In particular, the left side is recommended because it prevents pressure on the liver and facilitates healthy blood flow to the fetus, uterus, kidneys, and heart.

If you feel discomfort sleeping on your left side during pregnancy, you can switch to the right side now and then to relieve pressure on the left hip. You can also relieve tension by placing pillows under the belly, between the legs, and at the small of the back.

Best Sleeping Position for Back Pain

The best sleeping position for is on your side with a pillow or blanket between the knees. Side sleeping can also relieve symptoms for those with neck or back pain.

Choose a pillow with a loft, or thickness, that matches the distance between your neck and your shoulder. With a thicker pillow, your neck will stay aligned with your spine as you sleep on your side, preventing pain and soreness while maintaining proper alignment.

Are There Any Drawbacks To Sleeping on Your Side?

The side sleeping position is not recommended for people with shoulder pain or people worried about wrinkles.

Side sleeping can lead to soreness or tightness in your shoulders so it’s good to shift positions occasionally and use the most appropriate pillow and mattress. Ensure your mattress has enough “give” to allow your hips and shoulders to sink in deeper than your middle spine.

Side sleeping can also contribute to facial wrinkles, since your face is pressed against the pillow, stretching and compressing the skin.

Is One Side Better Than the Other?

If you’re already a side sleeper and want to go for that gold star, opt to sleep on your left instead of your right side. Sleeping on the right may increase pressure on your internal organs, which is why experts recommend the left for pregnant women and sleepers with acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Sleeping on the right can also intensify symptoms of heartburn.

Sleeping in a way that’s less symmetrical can increase your risk of pain symptoms upon waking up, so use pillows to achieve a side sleeping position that aligns your spine from hips to your head. Put pillows on either side of your body to keep yourself in place, and place a small pillow between the knees to even out the hips.

Sleeping on Your Back

Lying on the back is the second most popular sleep position, with plenty of benefits to rival the side sleeping position. When you’re flat on your back, it’s easy to keep your spine in alignment and to evenly distribute your body weight, preventing any potential aches in the neck or back. Sleeping on the back can also relieve the congestion of a stuffy nose or allergies, so long as you prop yourself up into an upright position.

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Your skin also benefits from the back sleeping position. Since you’re facing upward, there is no pillow or mattress pressing against your face and contributing to wrinkles. Back sleeping may be particularly beneficial for:

•People with lumbar spinal pain

•People worried about wrinkles

•People with neck pain

•People with nasal congestion

Best Sleeping Position for Neck Pain

Lying on the back is the best sleep position for neck pain, as it prevents the misalignment that can occur in the side or stomach positions. To prevent neck pain, use a pillow that supports the neck while letting your head sink deeper. Memory foam pillows or pillows with a divot for the head are good options. Alternately, you can roll a towel underneath your neck and use a flatter pillow for your head.

When sleeping on your back, aim to keep your arms in similar positions. For example, having them both lie by your sides is preferable to having one rested on your forehead, as that causes unevenness in the spine that can contribute to shoulder or neck pain.

Best Sleeping Position for Stuffy Nose

If you’re coping with allergies or a stuffy nose, use pillows to prop up your upper back so you’re in more of an upright position, without collapsing the spine. This positioning can enable your airways to stay open and may help drain your nose. Avoid lying flat on your back, as that may increase nasal congestion.

 

  • Source: sleepfoundation.org
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