How Your Sleeping Posture Affects You

You think about your posture when you’re sitting at work and when you’re about to go on a run. But did you know your sleeping posture is equally just as important? While you can’t actively think about the posture when you’re in the middle of sleeping, there are several steps you can take to ensure that what you do to your body as you rest won’t hurt your spine later on.

If you wake up sore or with back pain after you’ve been sleeping, keep reading below to learn the best and worst sleeping postures below.

LYING ON YOUR BACK WITH KNEE SUPPORT

Sleeping on your back is considered the best sleeping position, especially when you have a small pillow or blanket underneath your knees for additional support. Doing so evenly distributes your weight throughout your entire body, eliminates pressure points, and ensures that your head, neck, and shoulders mimic the natural curve of your spine while you’re sleeping.

If you’re having pain in your back after waking up, try sleeping on your back to see how it feels. Though it’s considered the least popular sleeping position, with only about 8% of people sleeping this way, there are tons of other benefits aside from sleeping well. A decrease in acid reflux and less wrinkles are two additional benefits.

However, sleeping on your back will increase snoring, give you a higher chance of experiencing sleep paralysis, and can be dangerous for those who have sleep apnea.

LYING ON YOUR SIDE WITH A PILLOW BETWEEN YOUR KNEES

You need to make sure you sleep with a pillow in between your knees if you plan to sleep on your side, as this will create the natural alignment in your spine, hips, and pelvis. Make sure you don’t curve your knees, otherwise, you’ll disrupt the curve of your spine again.

In addition, sleeping in this position will give you less chance of snoring, helps with sleep apnea, and cools heartburn if you sleep on your left side. However, it can lead to additional wrinkles and potential spine pain if you’re not careful about your positioning.

FETAL POSITION

As one of the most popular sleeping positions, it’s a step above sleeping on your side since the knees are curved up to the chest with the back relatively straight.

This sleeping posture is particularly beneficial for relieving the pain of herniated discs, for pregnant women to alleviate pressure on their uterus, and also those who struggle with snoring.

SLEEPING ON YOUR STOMACH

Unfortunately, this is the worst sleeping position you can sleep in. This is because sleeping on your stomach usually means you’re sleeping with your head turned to one side in addition to keeping your spine out of its neutral position. Sleeping this way also puts pressure on your stomach and the joints in that area. This can cause numbness, tingling, aches, and even irritated nerves.

However, the good news is that this position helps to prevent snoring. So if sleeping this way is necessary for you, sleep with two pillows stacked on top of each other so that you can breathe while keeping your neck flat, not turned to one side.

If you have any additional questions about how your sleeping position can be affecting your pain, click here to schedule an appointment with the experts at Alliance Spine and Pain.