How to Sleep Properly

There are so many sleeping positions and some are better than others for your back and the alignment of your spine. To keep the spine perfectly aligned you should sleep flat on your back with the neck and head supported by an appropriate, well-fitted pillow. The trouble is, there are probably a lot of us who don’t sleep on our back (or can’t fall asleep this way). And for those of us who do sleep on our backs, it’s important to get the right type of cervical pillow to keep our neck in alignment with the rest of our spine.

If you do sleep in another position, below are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Stomach Sleepers - Sleeping on your stomach isn’t good for your back as it increases the amount of stress placed on the spine. One trick is to place a thin pillow or a folded towel underneath your hips or pelvic area to slightly raise your back and better align your spine. Another, perhaps even more comfortable method, is to raise one leg up along your side and prop a small pillow under the knee. It’s a mix between side sleeping and stomach sleeping but with better spinal alignment than simply lying on your stomach.

Side Sleepers - We covered sleeping on your side in another blog post but it still bears repeating. Place a pillow between your legs like the Leg Spacer Positioning Pillow to keep your knees and legs in alignment with the lower back. It’s also a good idea to alternate sides as a side sleeper as habitually sleeping on one side can contribute to muscle imbalance.

The Goal - No matter the sleep position the end goal is for you to keep your spine in a neutral position. This is accomplished by properly supporting the position with pillows, utilizing appropriate cervical pillows for the neck area and/or changing from an innerspring mattress to a foam mattress.