Sleeping Positions. How Should I Lay?

I get a lot of questions about mattresses, pillows, and sleeping positions. Chiropractors all over the world get these questions. It makes sense, because numerous patients complain that their necks or backs are sore first thing in the morning. Isn’t it easy to think, “Huh, I wonder if my mattress is the problem?”

Here’s part of the problem. Our bodies crave movement. Our bodies hate being in one position for long periods of time. It’s also why working at a computer desk for hours and hours puts a lot of wear and tear on the joints of our spine. It may not cause issues immediately, but what if your body was under that physical stress for years? How we sleep is the same way; it’s rarely an overnight process, but rather aches and pains that develop over months and years.

So, how can we look at our beds and sleeping positions to help reduce our neck and back pain? There are a few easy things to look at before you spend a ton of money on a fancy mattress.

The purpose of pillows and mattresses is to keep our spines in a “neutral position”. That means your spine and neck are straight and in its most-normal position. Your spine isn’t twisted, it isn’t bent to one side, and it isn’t curled into a ball. Same goes for your pillow–its job is to keep your neck in a neutral position instead of being twisted or bent.

If you sleep on your back, use a thinner pillow that keeps your neck in better line with your spine. Too much bulk and your neck will be flexed forward. If you suffer with back pain, you may try putting a small pillow under your knees to elevate them–this takes pressure off the low back.

For side-sleepers, make your pillow thick or thin enough to keep your neck in line. Most of the time our pillow is too thin, and our neck is crunched to one side over the night. It makes sense how people feel their arms and hands fall asleep overnight? Those nerves are being compressed. For hip pain, put a pillow between the knees to keep your knees more in line with your hips.

These tips help us sleep with better posture. There can be other issues like pressure points, which can be solved by using a new mattress topper or slightly altering your position to distribute body weight. I’d suggest the low-cost options first before giving a new mattress a try.

Sometimes the issue is the joints of the spine are fixated and under stress. No amount of pillows or blankets will fix the underlying issue, but chiropractic care is perfect for fixing these underlying problems. If it is hard to get comfortable or pain wakes you up at night, chiropractic will rehab the joints so they move with you, not against you.

Under chiropractic care, patients regularly report sleeping deeper, longer, and more restfully. Aside from the other amazing benefits of chiropractic care, getting better sleep is just one of the reasons to ask your local chiropractor for a free consultation. If these tips help some but not all the way, then chiropractic care may be the final piece of the puzzle.