I ask every patient that comes in my office about sleep habits. What you do in bed (and NO, I am not talking about that!) will effect how you feel for the rest of the day. :) Here is some information about how to sleep the "right" way so you can wake up feeling great and pain-free!
Sleeping is one of the most influential activities that can perpetuate back and neck pain or interfere with the ability to get better. Trying to control what you do while you are not conscious can be challenging. Here are a few tips on how to minimize stress on your body while you sleep.
1. Never sleep on your stomach
Sleeping on your stomach increases the normal curves in the neck and low back resulting in nerve compression and stress to the joints and muscles. This can keep the upper neck tight resulting in headaches, dizziness, and even perpetuate sinus troubles.
2. Side sleeping
Pull your pillow down into the shoulder to support the neck, bend your knees slightly and put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned.
On your side HALF your body gets to relax while the other half keeps you on your side. You might find you flip from side to side all night long. This allows the opposite side of your body to rest.
3. Back sleeping is Best!
Put 1-2 pillows under the knees to flatten the curve in the low back and decrease stress and strain on the muscles. In order to support the neck, the pillow must accept the weight of the back of the head.
Alignment is the key.
No matter how you sleep, keep your nose in-line with your breast bone and keep your hips squared up with your shoulders. Twisting your upper body one way and your lower body the other is the best way the keep stress and tension in the middle back.
A little practice and awareness about the best and worst ways to sleep will save tension and help eliminate that pain in the neck...
No comments:
Post a Comment