Summary: Learn about the different postures you can sleep in, and how you can promote health and prevent pain with the way that you’re sleeping.
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Statistics tell us that we spend about a third of our lives sleeping.
During waking hours we spend a lot of time focusing on how our posture should be, what gadgets we need to help support our posture and what stretches we should do to help manage and prevent our day to day aches and pains. But what about when we’re sleeping?
With sleep taking up so much of our day, we should be looking at our sleeping postures just as much as our waking postures.
When we sleep, there are really 3 ways to position ourselves.
- 1. On your back
- 2. On your side
- 3. On your stomach
Let’s talk about the main pros, cons, and tips so that you can get the best rest in each position.
Sleeping On Your Back
Most experts would tell you that this is the most optimal way to sleep. And I would agree that it has many positives. It avoids putting direct pressure on the shoulders and hips. With the right support, it allows the natural curvatures in your spine to be supported and is shown to keep your neck in the most neutral position all night long. While sleeping your back has all of these benefits, if you’re not properly supported all of these benefits go out the window.
So how do you most optimally sleep on your back?
- – Put a pillow under your knees so that your legs aren’t lying flat. When your legs are flat or fully extended it causes the curvature in your lower back to increase adding unnecessary stress to the lower part of your back. Putting a pillow (or a few) under your knees and allowing your legs to rest and relax will take tension off your lower back putting you in a safe, healthy, and supported position.
- – You’ll also want to have a supportive pillow for your neck so that as you lay on your back the natural curvature of your neck is supported.
Sleeping On Your Side
I have found this to be the most common way for people to sleep, and it is personally how I sleep. Unlike back sleeping, sleeping on your side can put a lot more stress on your hips and shoulders. But even with that stress, it can be great at properly supporting the natural curvatures of your spine. But how do you most optimally sleep on your side?
- – Put a pillow between your knees! I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Without a pillow, when you’re on your side your hips have a hard time staying stacked which puts a lot of rotation into the pelvis and lower back. Putting a pillow between your knees helps to support your legs while you’re sleeping helps to keep your pelvis stacked to prevent lower back pain. A standard pillow will work for this, but personally, I prefer a body pillow as it also gives your arms something to hold on to. Having something to hold onto helps to keep your shoulders in a more neutral position as well. If you prefer not to have a body pillow, consider using a second smaller pillow to hold on to with your arms.
- – The other important part of side sleeping is having a pillow for your neck that not only supports your neck curvature, but also your jaw.
Sleeping On Your Stomach
This position is historically the worst position to sleep in. No fret if you are a stomach sleeper- there are definitely ways to optimize it. And truthfully, I used to be a stomach sleeper for years and I’ve turned out ok, so no need to stress! The reason this position is often the worst of the three to sleep in is because there will almost always be some unwanted strain on your neck or back in this position. In order to optimally sleep on your stomach try:
- -Placing a pillow under your hips in order to elevate your pelvis. Without having a pillow under your hips we create that increased tension on your lower back, similar to what we discussed with sleeping on your back. Elevating your hips, even an inch can help to make your lower back be more relaxed during a night of sleep.
- -You’ll also want to consider a pillow that is a little bit thinner for your neck. Since you’ll have to turn your head while you’re sleeping it often causes a lot of tension in your upper back. Having a thinner pillow for your neck can still be supportive for your neck curvature while reducing the tension felt through your upper back.
Sleeping During Pregnancy
Well if you’ve ever met someone who is pregnant, or been pregnant yourself, it’s not a secret that sleep during the 9 months of pregnancy isn’t always the best. This is partly due to increased levels of relaxin that are moving throughout your body which decreases stability and adds increased joint mobility.
But also during pregnancy, it is almost required that you sleep on your side. Having a good supportive pregnancy pillow is important and body work such as chiropractic care, massage, and acupuncture have been shown to help manage the aches and pains of pregnancy a lot!
We’ve talked about needing a good supportive pillow for your neck regardless of the position you sleep in, and my best recommendation for that is the Pillowise Pillow. This pillow is custom fitted to your neck curvature, neck size, and the position you sleep in so that it can be most supportive for you. This pillow must be purchased from a licensed health care professional. You can use the map on their website to find an authorized provider near you, or even schedule a pillow fitting visit at RISE, if you’re local to Columbus, Ohio.
The type of mattress you have also plays a big role in how well and how supported your sleep posture can be. You can read more about different mattress types, and brands I love, hate, and recommend here.
I hope this was helpful! Happy sleeping!