Waking up in pain is never a great way to start the day. If you find yourself stiff and sore in the morning, it is probably time to take a look at your sleep posture. Sleeping with good posture is just as important as standing and sitting with good posture. We spend up to 1/3 of our day sleeping, therefore our sleep posture can really impact the overall health of our spines. A large proportion of back pain complaints stem from some sort of underlying biomechanical issue and poor sleep posture could be at the root of that.
The best sleep posture is one in which your spine remains in a neutral position. Sleeping on your back with a small pillow or rolled towel behind your knees is an ideal posture for eliminating undue stress on your joints and muscles. Limit yourself to one pillow for your head, and try to ensure that your head and neck are in line with the rest of your spine. Sleeping on you side, with your spine straight and hips stacked with your knees straight or with a slight bend also helps keep you in neutral position. Placing a small pillow between your knees will help ensure a neutral low back and pelvis. You want to avoid curling up into the fetal position in this posture, where you are creating a C shaped curve in your back. The fetal position will result in increased stress through the joints and ligaments. And try to avoid sleeping on your stomach. This sleep posture puts the greatest stress on the body. Your body uses the time you spend sleeping to regenerate from the days stress, sleeping with good posture will help ensure you are waking up pain free.
If you are still waking up sore even with good sleep posture you may want to look at your mattress. Medium firmness is ideal for most, and avoid mattresses that have dipped with age. A good pillow may also make a big difference; you want to ensure that it supports your head and neck while keeping them in neutral position.
If you follow the above recommendations and are still sore when you are getting up in the mornings, give your Chiropractor a call. Nothing puts a bigger kink in your day than back pain. Let the experts help you get back to your pain free self again.
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