Zzzz… How Your Sleep Position Could Be Causing Back Pain

The human body is capable of remarkable feats, but it also requires a delicate balance. A sudden injury or repeated offenses could trigger a lifelong struggle with pain in your back and neck. However, even if you do everything you can while you’re awake to take away distractions and bad posture, you may find yourself still fighting a battle with back pain. Have you considered the sleeping position you have during the night? In this post, you’ll learn why this matters as well as some examples of how you may be causing pain without even realizing it as well as what to do about it!

Why Sleep Position Matters

You’ve probably heard advice from your chiropractor or physician that you shouldn’t sit for hours and hours at your desk at work. You need to get up, walk around, and stretch every once in a while because staying in the same posture, especially if it’s poor, puts stress on your spine and nerves. The same concept applies to the posture you have when you’re asleep. By having a supported, straight spine throughout the night, you can reduce your chances of developing back or neck pain.

Unhealthy Sleeping Positions

Although there isn’t necessarily one right way to sleep, there are a couple of wrong ways to approach bedtime positions. Here are two common ways to sleep that could lead to substantial pain when you get up for the day:

Stomach Sleeping

When you lie on your stomach, your head must turn to either side so you can breathe. In so doing, you have to turn your neck in the same position for a long time, making your neck ache during the day.

Curling Up

You may have assumed the fetal position as a baby for comfort, but your spine has become much more inflexible since those days. Curling up now bends your lower spine, causing stiffness and discomfort.

Even if you personally enjoy these sleeping positions during the night and find them comfortable as you sleep, you may wake up with additional back, hip, or neck pain. It’s worth taking time to retrain yourself to sleep in other positions—or at least scheduling regular visits with your chiropractor to make sure you remain loose and properly aligned.

Healthy Sleeping Positions

The good news is that you can sleep in a couple of ways to keep your spine straight and your nerves mostly unbothered.

Back Sleeping

Considered one of the best positions to sleep in, lying on your back doesn’t distort your spine, especially if you have a small pillow underneath your knees, supporting the slight curvature of your lower back.

Side Sleeping

As long as you have a pillow that offers enough support for your head and neck to keep your spine aligned, and you have a pillow slightly separating your knees, you can rest peacefully and have less pain in your hips, lower back, and neck.

It may take some time to adjust to a new sleeping position, but sticking to the healthy ones can prevent pain from returning and allow you to have a truly good night’s rest followed by an energy-filled, pain-free day!

About the Author

Dr. Zinovy Chukhman graduated from the Parker College of Chiropractic, which is located in Dallas. He is concerned with every aspect of our patients’ lives, digging to find the real cause of pain and addressing it with healthy habits and advice. If you would like to meet with Dr. Z and get relief from your back or neck pain, give us a call at 972-907-2800 or visit our Contact Us page here.