Doctor: Sleep Position Could Cause Pain
Chiropractor Suggests Best Ways To Sleep
POSTED: Thursday, June 18, 2009
UPDATED: 10:02 pm EDT June 18,
2009
ORLANDO, Fla. -- No one likes to wake up tired and full of aches and pains, but the way you sleep could have an impact on how you feel in the morning.Chiropractor Dr. Michael Hempfield said you could be doing damage to your body during the night depending on what position you sleep in and what kind of pillows you use."If you are using a big, fat, foamy pillow, and you are laying on your side, and your head like this (tilted), you are asking for problems," Hempfield said.Hempfield said sleep is supposed to allow your body to recover from the day, so it is important to sleep properly."The body regenerates and repairs itself. It has a downtime to do its house keeping, so to speak," Hempfield said.Hempfield has some tips to keep your body in line while still sleeping in your favorite position.For people who like to sleep on their side with their arm under their head, Hempfield suggests using a foam pillow that maintains its shape to prevent overstretching of the neck."You are going to cut the blood supply off, wake up with tingling in the hand and arms a lot of times," Hempfield said.He also said it is a good idea to put a pillow between your legs to prevent you from hiking one knee up, which can rotate the pelvis and twist the lower spine.Hempfield said sleeping on your stomach is not good either."That's the worst for a couple reasons. When you are on your stomach, that curve increases a little bit more. The joints compress a little more, so if you are in the position for a long period of time, those joints are compressed and that can start to cause pain," Hempfield said. "The other thing is, when you sleep on your stomach, you can't sleep with your head down and with that neck turned for a long period of time. That can cause problems, mechanical disadvantage."For people who are not comfortable sleeping any other way, Hempfield suggests pitting a thin pillow underneath your abdomen to take some stress of the back.Hempfield said the best way to sleep is on your back without a pillow."Say their back is flat, but their neck is elevated…your neck is at a big disadvantage. You are taking that nice little curve out of (your back). You are stretching the tendons and you are setting yourself up for a problem," Hempfield said.If you have to sleep with a pillow, Hempfield said to find the thinnest possible pillow, or a soft down pillow that flattens, to help save your neck and spine."Listen to what your body says," Hempfield said. "Keep the spine in neutral and remember we have two small curves, one in the lower neck and one in the back, and they are very important to maintain."Hempfield said if you keep good posture during the day, chances are you will sleep better at night.If your sleep position causes pain, WholeLiving.com offers tips for exercises to help get your body back in line.
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