What Sleeping Position Is Best
You can feel like you’re awake most of the night trying to find the most comfortable sleeping position. And finding the right sleeping position is crucial for a good night’s sleep.
Most will go for what is comfortable right now without thinking about what it does to your body. Others suffer with how they sleep, that each morning when they wake they feel like they’ve been up most of the night. And some take a long time to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in.
So, what sleeping position is best?
In this blog we are going to outline what sleeping position is best for you and why it is so important to find the right sleeping position for your body.
Why Sleep Is So Important?
Sleep is an essential part of life. You could not function without a set amount of sleep each day as its essential to every process in your body. During sleep your body is performing many important functions that aid with mental and physical health, your ability to fight disease and your metabolism.
We all know that feeling when we wake up after having a poor night sleep, you feel cranky, you have poor memory, and you can lack basic functions that usually come naturally to you.
For adults, 7-9 hours sleep per night is needed to see the benefits. Anything less and you can start feeling the negative effects of lack of sleep. If this happens on an on-going basis, it can lead to serious repercussions which can include obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and many other diseases.
What Happens To Your Body When You Sleep?
Even though your body has little movement during the night, your brain is very active. You cycle through non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) periods during sleep and its during rem sleep that your muscles become paralysed. REM sleep is your most deep sleep, when you have vivid dreams. Many scientists believe your muscles become paralysed to save your body from reacting from your dreams. Your brain starts processing all the day’s information, filing it away for later use.
Hormones are released
Your body’s endocrine system starts working. Your endocrine system controls the hormones in your body. Some of the more well-known hormones released are melatonin, which controls your sleep patterns and growth hormone which helps your body repair and grow.
Your sympathetic nervous system relaxes. Throughout the day, this controls your fight or flight response. As we have evolved, this is one of the main systems used throughout the day, so at night it gets a chance to relax, as an elevated sympathetic nervous system can lead to an increase in blood pressure.
Cortisol levels drop when you sleep. Cortisol is your stress hormone which drops in the first part of sleep. It then starts rising again throughout the night to peak at waking hours to wake you up and give you energy (we hope) in the morning.
Finally, you need to pee less, thanks to anti-diuretic hormone. Throughout the day you constantly need the bathroom. But at night, you can go a full 8 hours without needing to (on a good night), all thanks to this hormone.
Sleeping Position
Finding the best sleeping position is crucial for a good night’s sleep! Most of us know the frustration of trying to find the right position when falling asleep.
But a good sleeping position is one that promotes a good spinal alignment from your hips to your head. This can be quite different for a lot of people depending upon the issues you may have such as back pain, pregnancy, or neck pain.
If you have a healthy body, you should be able to sleep in most places. We have evolved from sleeping in caves on hard floors, our bodies can sleep on different surfaces such as hay bales or many other places. So, if you feel you struggle to sleep on your mattress, it can be a good idea to check your body for any niggles or other issues.
What Sleeping Position Is Best
Generally, sleeping on your side is considered better for you than sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping on your side allows your spine to be supported while relieving pressure on your back. This allows for all the muscles down your spine to relax and recover throughout the night.
Of course, your sleep position is different for each person. If you feel comfortable sleeping on your front, don’t feel the need to suddenly change. A good pillow and mattress can help and still promote a good sleeping position for your spine.
Also, you may suffer with other issues such as acid reflux or even be pregnant which will make a difference to your sleeping position.
Sleeping Positions For Back Pain
There can be a variety of sleeping positions for back pain, as everyone will experience a different type of pain. Depending upon what back pain you are experiencing and how it affects you at night.
Generally, the best sleeping position for back pain is on your side with a pillow in between your knees. This allows your spine to stay in good alignment from your hips to head while relieving pressure placed on your back.
For a good alignment to your head, choose a pillow that is roughly the same thickness as the gap between your shoulder and head.
Sleeping Position With Lower Back Pain
The best sleeping position for lower back pain is also on your side as above. This does come down to comfort, that if you find sleeping on your side aggravates the pain in your lower back, it is best to change positions.
Sleeping on your back could be a better position for you at that moment.
Sleeping Position For Neck Pain
Finding the right sleeping position for neck pain can be a right pain in the neck itself (pun intended). If you suffer with neck pain and are struggling to find a comfortable position to sleep, there are a few things you can do to help.
On your side will be most beneficial if you are looking for the right sleeping position for neck pain. By placing a pillow, the same thickness as the gap between your shoulder and neck, you can help reduce the strain placed on your neck during the night.
However, if you currently don’t sleep on your side, it can be quite uncomfortable and take time to get used to this adding another frustration to your nighttime.
The next sleeping position for neck pain is on your back. To keep the natural curvature of your spine, its best to place a small pillow or rolled up towel under your knees. This will keep the natural curve of your spine. It is best to use a pillow that supports your neck but does not force it into an unnatural position. Many people will use two or more pillows which can cause even more neck pain.
Sleeping When Pregnant
Trying to get a comfortable night sleep during pregnancy can feel like an impossible task. It’s a constant battle between your little one kicking and being comfortable in the position that you can drift off to sleep in.
During pregnancy, experts recommend sleeping on your side with your knees bent. This will help relieve pressure from your back throughout the night and allow the heart to pump blood easily throughout the body.
It is recommended that you sleep on your left side throughout pregnancy. This is to relieve pressure on your liver and facilitates healthy blood flow to your baby.
Finding The Right Position For You
It can take time to find the right position which feels comfortable for you and does your body good. If you find you feel tired each morning when you wake, or you never feel comfortable when you sleep, it could be worth getting a body mot.
A visit to your local chiropractor will be able to find any issues in your body which could be affecting your sleep. You can book a free visit here.
Book a Consultation
The best thing to do once you have found a chiropractic clinic you believe looks good, is to book an initial consultation. A lot of local clinics do offer a free visit.
Book a consultation and see what the chiropractor finds from the initial assessment. They may not be able to alleviate your pain right now, however, they will be able to create a plan of care that will help your issues.
How Can Life Effect Help?
At Life Effect, our team of chiropractors are determined to help you to regain control of your life. We start every consultation by getting to know you, what you want from your treatment, your concerns and the things you want to get back to doing. Only then, will we come up with a care plan that keeps you at the centre.
Not only will we get to the root cause of your back pain and discuss appropriate pain relief but we can prevent back pain in the long-term too. To book your free consultation or to discuss how we could help you, simply get in touch with our team.