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Sleeping Smart and Sound
by Dr. David L. Wick, D.C.

At least in theory, we all spend about one-third of our life sleeping. Any activity that involves so much of our time should be given a good deal of consideration. But ironically, we most often sleep without any awareness of what we are doing, and many of our postures during sleep can cause aches and fatigue rather than the energizing effects sleep should have. Paying a little attention to our sleeping positions can help to enable much better rest.

Many of my patients come to me complaining of a neck or back ache that "just showed up when I woke up." There can be many causes of that pain, of course, but one that I often suspect is related to sleeping postures. When patients implement a few sleeping tips along with their clinical treatments, many of their aches improve considerably.   When we lie down to rest, our muscles should be relaxed. That makes good sense, doesn't it? If we lie in a position that prevents our muscles from evenly relaxing, it can cause constant pulling on various joints. One of those is commonly the spine. When awakening from such a position, one will feel sore because their muscles have worked unevenly all night.   Let's consider a few things that can be done to prevent such a scenario by examining sleeping posture from multiple angles.

Side-Lying Sleeper

One of the first important things to consider is the angle of your legs. The specific angle of the legs becomes more important when one has lower back or pelvic problems. A healthier person can keep their legs bent at a greater angle. To determine the angle you should rest your legs, rub the muscles on both sides of your lower back. If your legs are at the correct angle, the back muscles should be soft. If the muscles are tight or tender, raise or lower your legs to find the position that relaxes them. Sleeping for hours with these muscles contracted can cause lower back pain or slow the healing process of a person with a lower back injury.

Now rub the muscle on the outside of your pelvis. If this muscle is sore, you should place a pillow between your legs. If the pillow spaces the legs apart at the correct height, the tenderness of the muscle should greatly decrease.

The next important check is your pillow. It should comfortably support your head and neck by filling the space from the tip of your shoulder to your neck. To test if your pillow is working correctly for you, while lying on your side, reach up and rub the muscles in the front and side of your neck. Tenderness in those muscles indicate that your pillow needs to be altered. If you were to view your spine from the side, the neck should be supported in a direct line with the back. Additionally, the head should not angle up or down. Having the correct neck angle and pillow support will result in little or no tenderness in the neck muscles. Find a pillow or combination of pillows that achieves the best levels of neck relaxation.

Back Sleeper

One of the first considerations of a back sleeper is whether the muscles along the spine are properly relaxed. This can be determined by having someone reach under your back and rub the muscles beside the spine. If the muscles are tender, place a small pillow under your knees and check to see if that reduces the tenderness. A proper angle of the knees will relax the lower back muscles.

Now turn your attention to your pillow. As you are lying on your back to sleep, you require less support than when you are on your side. While lying on your back, reach up and rub the muscles along the front and side of your neck. If you have tightness or tenderness of these muscles, your pillow height is elevated above optimum. Find a pillow with a lower height and the muscles should relax and be considerably less tender.

Belly Sleeper

If you are a belly sleeper, the only solution is to develop a habit of sleeping on your back or side. This may be a difficult undertaking for some, but there is no way to sleep on your belly without distorting the posture of your spine and creating muscle strain. If you have been a belly sleeper with a minimal amount of waking discomfort, then you have been very lucky. Sleeping in such a poor posture will usually "catch up with" a person sooner or later.

Further Considerations for All

If, for some reason, you just can't seem to find a correct position of comfort on your bed, try another bed. A mattress that is too soft, worn out or too hard will make it difficult to find a relaxed position for your spine. You may need to make some mattress changes before better sleep will be within your grasp.

If you are finding that the pillows and mattress you have are inadequate for finding the most relaxing sleep posture, you may wish to investigate some of the innovative sleep products on the market. These should be conveniently sold through a variety of stores. One of the suppliers of better sleep products I carry in my clinic is Core Products International, Inc. They make some superb products that deserve consideration. You may wish to purchase these exact products or find something very similar from a retailer near you:

Tri-Core® Cervical Pillow The contoured design helps to relieve headaches, joint strains, arthritis, neck injuries and more...may even alleviate snoring! It is designed for both side-lying and back sleepers.		Leg Spacer® Helps relieve pressure and strain on the lower back, knees and ankles by relaxing muscles. It is designed to move with you as you turn over.		Jackson Roll® This support is very versatile. It is great for neck, back or knee support. Useful either at home or when traveling.

(Product pictures and information are taken from the Core Products website where these and other products may be securely purchased.) 

Once you've found the optimum sleep position, you may find it much easier to fall asleep. If you awaken throughout the night in another position, simply roll back into the ideal position for you. It is extremely important for you to be able to sleep in a relaxed position.

I routinely recommend that patients with potential sleep posture problems bring in their pillows to have their postures checked. A little attention to this detail goes a long way in improving health.

If you haven't done so already, you may wish to read my other sleep recommendations. Good quality sleep is very important for keeping oneself in best form.

This article is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of any illness. Diagnosis and treatment of all health conditions should only be performed by your doctor of chiropractic or other licensed health care professional. Please use this article for informational purposes only. This information does not replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare provider.