Nicole Gleichmann
Nicole is a health and wellness writer who has spent many years perfecting the science of sleep. Now her days are filled with adventure and writing, and her nights with peaceful slumber.
Nicole is a health and wellness writer who has spent many years perfecting the science of sleep. Now her days are filled with adventure and writing, and her nights with peaceful slumber.
At Mattress Advisor, you’ll find comprehensive, unbiased reviews on the best mattresses and bedding products and thoroughly researched tips for getting your best sleep.
Ever since we were children, most of us have understood the importance of proper posture. We were told by parents and teachers to sit up straight and not slouch. Our elders were not wrong. Daytime posture is important for our long-term health and wellbeing. However, they were missing a crucial part: how we sleep is just as important for our bodies as how we hold ourselves when we’re awake.
Before you can really know if your spine is in good alignment when sleeping, you should understand what proper posture looks like when standing. The first sign that your body is in proper alignment is when your ears, shoulders, and hips are all in one plane, and this plane is perpendicular to the ground.
Next, there should be some natural curvature throughout your spine, all the way from your lower back to your upper neck. These natural curves help to distribute pressure; without them, compressed vertebrates and chronic pain can result.
Just as we should work on our posture during the day, we should work on our body alignment at night. If you sleep in poor alignment, you can experience similar discomfort as you would if you had poor posture during the day. Plus, there are unique problems that can come from poor sleep alignment.
If your spine isn’t well supported and aligned when you sleep, you can experience:
Can you imagine the posture and body positioning of proper standing posture as we described earlier? The idea is to keep that alignment when you lie down.
Here are the different parts of the body that you will want to concentrate on:
Back sleeping is usually considered the best sleep position when it comes to proper alignment. If you struggle with back or neck pain, sleeping on your back may help.
To optimize your sleep posture on your back, consider the following:
Deciding to sleep on your side can be a good decision for your spine, but you do need to be more cautious. To reduce aches and pains, side sleepers should follow these guidelines:
Note: sleeping on your side is the best position for those with sleep apnea to find relief from their symptoms.
There is no correct way to sleep on your front; no matter how you position your body, your spine will be out of alignment.
Stomach sleepers will usually have their neck turned to one side or the other, and using a pillow can result in an unnatural neck and back curve upwards. Your lower back will often be hyperextended, leading to lower back pain.
Related: Best mattress for back pain
The best thing you can do if you are a stomach sleeper is to try and sleep in another position. It can take time and continuous effort to do so, but eventually, you may be able to sleep even more comfortably on your back or side.
If you do choose to sleep on your front, the best bet is to sleep on a firm mattress and use no pillow or a very thin, firm pillow for your head only.
It is best to sleep on your back or side if you want to get a good night’s rest and wake up without aches and pains. No matter the position you sleep in, do your best to set yourself up to maintain a healthy posture while you sleep.
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