Children may be made from rubber.
At least you might think that when you see the positions in which they sleep.Upside-down, head jammed under a chair, even on the stairs. They mold themselves to their surroundings like a Slinky.
When we try it, we’re stuck in that position for the rest of our life, like a cement origami. A night spent in an uncomfortable position can be as tiring as running a marathon and nowhere near as satisfying. In fact, it can make the rest of the day miserable as we slowly unfold ourselves, uttering new curse words and beast-like grunts. It’s true that our nighttime posture is just as important as how we carry ourselves during the day.
Poor quality sleep impacts your entire life. It can make you sick, grumpy and a danger to yourself and others. The position you sleep in is decisive in how well you rest, particularly if you have back pain. It may surprise you to learn that a bad posture during sleep can often be the underlying cause of your back pain, as Medical News Today pointed out.
According to them, the best position for sleeping to relieve pain is on your back. However, most of us snore louder in that position and may end up with associated injuries due to being punched by our significant other during the night (speaking from experience while wearing a crash helmet).
If you can safely sleep on your back, you need to support your knees in order to preserve the spine’s alignment. Or you can sleep on your side with pillows filling in the gaps between your body and the mattress. To be honest, the best solution is an adjustable bed base like this one which not only adapts to your favorite position, it also offers massage and a zero gravity sensation. All of which complements the body’s natural healing processes that go on during sleep.
Your muscles and ligaments relax and restore themselves when you’re at rest. You can further help by considering these factors, outlined by the University of Rochester’s Medical Center:
- Invest in a mattress that is comfortable and supports you properly during sleep. This is a subjective choice, depending on your personal needs. And, these days, you don’t even need to visit a bed showroom to embarrass yourself, sprawling on the various beds. The best mattress outlets online offer free returns on their products so you can really sleep test them.
- Position your pillows for maximum results. If a pillow is too high, you may end up with back, neck and shoulder pain. Too low and you fail to support your neck’s natural position.
- Align yourself. Your goal is to keep your hips, shoulders and ears in line. Sleeping on your stomach is dodgy as it can stress the mid and lower back. On your side is less problematic if you keep a pillow between your knees.
Above all else, remember, posture in repose can help you sleep better and wake refreshed, unless you’re a toddler and are happy dangling from the top bunk bed.
