A poor sleeping position puts unnecessary pressure on the neck, hips, and back causing lower back pain. The persistent pain not only disturbs a person’s daily routine but also affects the quality of their sleep. You should know the right sleeping positions and which positions to avoid.
Dr. Shikha Jain, Senior Spine Specialist at QI Spine clinic says, “there are good sleeping positions and bad sleeping positions. We recommend patients to sleep on their back or in the sideways position, of course, with some precautions. Sleeping on your belly and in the foetal position are a strict no-no.”
Here are the two best sleeping positions for a healthy back:
- Sleeping on your back
When sleeping on your back, make sure that your head, neck, and spine are in neutral position. This is the best sleeping position as it helps reduce the pressure on your spine and at the same time relaxes the entire body.
Placing a pillow under your knees will help take care of the natural curve of your spine and reduce the pressure on it.
For someone suffering from lower back pain, sleeping on the back will reduce the intensity of pain.
- Sleeping side-ways
Sleeping on your back may not always be comfortable. You can turn side-ways, such that your legs are aligned.
A good precautionary measure would be to place a pillow between your knees. This will help stabilise the posture. If you sleep without a pillow, your body will flop down or fall forward, putting more pressure on your spine.
Sleeping side-ways benefits those suffering from lower back pain, stiff back, and neck related issues.
The two worst positions to sleep in are:
- Sleeping on the stomach
When you sleep on your stomach, the natural curve of your spine gets affected because the position puts your spine into an extension. It also affects the neck as it will be turned on one side.
Being in this position for a couple of hours at a stretch can be extremely harmful to the neck and the spine.
If absolutely out of habit, you do sleep on your back, sleep with a pillow under your tummy.
- Sleeping in a foetal position
This is the unhealthiest position one can sleep in as it puts the spine in a flex, with an unnatural C-shape as opposed to the usual S-shape of the spine.
Spinal discs are jelly-like structures, if they receive pressure from one side, it bulges out from another side. This is called a disc bulge.
In the foetal position, all the discs are pushed back, making the back highly prone to problems like a slipped disc.
There is no way to sleep healthily in the foetal position. You must keep your back straight and if need be, your legs at a right angle. Keeping a pillow between your legs can help stabilise the body.
You should follow the advice presented here to avoid continuously harming yourself while sleeping.
Source: India Today
Finding a good sleeping position helps to relax one’s body. Atleast am able to know of some bad sleeping posture
Thanks for the info
Am just getting to know this now
Wow.. Thanks sir for this platform.. I have learn alot from you
Indeed ignorant is a great killer…I’ve been ignorant of those vital information…am glad that am enlightened now.
very educating.
Thanks for this information!
They don’t count .lol
Quite educative
Thank you for lecturing me on how to sleep.
Wow, and i ve been sleeping on my stomach all this while, thank you sir, now I can start sleeping on my side