What's the best sleeping position?
Not only can pain affect your sleep, but your sleep can cause you pain! I’ve lost count of the amount of times that someone has come in with huge amounts of pain simply because they “slept funny” the previous night. So whats the best way to sleep to both alleviate and prevent pain?
The Good…
The ideal sleeping position is on your back*. If you find sleeping on your back uncomfortable, try putting a pillow underneath your knees to raise them slightly. This changes the angle of your back/pelvis and should make you more comfortable.
The next best position is on your side, aka: the foetal position. Similarly to when lying on your back, if you struggle with this position (for example those suffering with back or hip pain) you may find that putting the pillow between your knees makes you more comfortable.
*Psssst if you’re a snorer you’ll probably be better off sleeping on your side rather than your back!
Check out this interesting graph below that shows just how much different positions affect the load going through the discs:
The Bad…
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but front sleeping is the worst in terms of musculoskeletal health! It’s particularly bad for your neck and can result in pain, stiffness and headaches. If you MUST sleep on your front, try having a thinner pillow so that your neck is at less of a harsh angle. Front sleeping can also aggravate shoulders if you are one of those front sleepers that lies with your arms in the air like a sky diver!
I can hear it already… “But I move a lot in my sleep, how can I stop myself rolling onto my front?” To get yourself out of the habit of sleeping on your front, try sleeping in the recovery position. This way you are on your side, but rolled slightly forward. Having your leg raised will hopefully stop you moving all the way onto your front. Eventually you should find that you are able to wean yourself off this position until you can sleep on your side no problem. However bear in mind there may be a transition period where you struggle to get to sleep in the new position - stick at it, your body will thank you in the long run! Night time is the body’s chance to rest, you don’t want to be putting unnecessary pressure on it at this time.