Your Sleep Position Matters

Imagine taking yourself from the position you sleep in, and propping yourself upright on display...how close to anatomical position are you?

Anatomical position is the ‘home base’ to proper posture. And this is why sleeping on your back is the #1 recommended position. While on your back, your head, neck and spine are all able to rest in a neutral position. Especially when using proper cushioning to support your necks natural curvature. The downside, snoring (for some). The next best position is on your side. Here, you’ll want a firm pillow between your legs to keep your hips in alignment, a firm pillow under your top arm (imagine hugging the pillow) to keep your shoulders in alignment, and enough pillow support to keep your neck in a neutral position. An added tip, put a pillow behind your back to lean back slightly and take the pressure off your bottom arm. Now, stomach sleepers... Referring back to my ‘prop yourself on display’ visualization, can you imagine having your neck turned to one side or the other for EIGHT HOURS?

You wouldn’t turn the chair at your desk 90 degrees to the right so you could look at the screen sideways, would you?

Sleeping on your stomach can certainly lead to neck/shoulder/back pain, joint stiffness, numbness, tingling, aching, and it’s just plain hard on your nerves and muscles.

My recommendations for stomach positions...sleep on a massage table with the face cradle? 😆

Or, sleep with your face as close to straight down as you can with your arms by your sides, not up above your head. While we do appreciate the urgent calls for a massage after you've “slept wrong”, I’d love it if we could work on solving the problem long term.

We wish you a good nights sleep!