HOW TO SLEEP WITH PROPER POSTURE

Quality of sleep is one of the biggest factors that determines your overall health. Getting a good night of rest is anti-inflammatory, increases energy, focus, hormonal production, cellular regeneration, and improves so many other aspects of your health (seriously, look it up!) But if your body is not aligned properly while you sleep, you may not be getting proper rest that would allow for your body to go into REM and truly restore itself. Aligning your spine while you sleep is equally as important as aligning your spine and maintaining posture while you’re awake, and it takes some passive practice to retrain your body’s sleep functions. 

Most of us grew up sleeping on our bellies, or our sides, and when we were young this was a comfort thing. In fact, in the wild sleeping belly down is a survival tactic that would protect your internal organs in case of an attack. Luckily, we aren’t animals sleeping in the wild, and we have the luxury of slumbering in the comfort of our own beds. Which means we have agency over the way we choose and prepare for our bodies to sleep. 

The healthiest and most nourishing position for proper sleep is on your back, which can be quite the adjustment for us diehard side and belly sleepers. Let’s not even get started on sleeping face down, that’s literally not even an option as it is the absolute worst sleep position for spinal health. Sleeping face up is most beneficial when your chin is at a 90 degree angle with proper neck support. This requires having a pillow that is the perfect height for aligning your spine. You’ll know if it’s the right fit so long as your chin isn’t pointing too far back, or too far forward - think about your spine being in a perfect line from the tip of the head all the way down to your toes. 

Another way to support your spine in creating perfect alignment while you sleep is to slide a pillow underneath your knees. This will support your low back, in the same way that sliding a bolster under your knees does in shavasana pose during yoga practice - and similarly to yoga - finding comfort sleeping face up will be a PRACTICE, at first. All good things take time, so be patient with your body as you learn to adjust to this new position. You can support the learning curve by using a weighted blanket. This will create the psychological and physical sense of safety in the body while you work on creating a new sleep rhythm. We also talk a lot about aromatherapy in our office, and this is another great method to utilize to get you into relaxation to better ease into a night of restful sleep. Thieves Blend Oil from Young Living is our favorite for relaxation. 

Now, let’s be clear. While sleeping on your back is our preferred method of sleeping for spinal health - sleeping on your side is perfectly acceptable so long as you’re maintaining alignment in the spine (are you noticing a trend  yet?!) While sleeping on your side, you want to be sure that you have a pillow between your legs. This is critical as it will create support for your hips, and therefore your spine, too. A body pillow is also recommended as it will support the frontal part of your body and keep you from going into the fetal position (which is also not good for your back!) 

You can prepare for an effective night’s sleep by creating bumper guards all around you. So far, we’ve covered fool-proof ways of getting a better night sleep while you’re learning to adjust to healthier body positions; a proper pillow, a weighted blanket, pillow under the knees, pillow between the legs, a body pillow in front and behind you to keep from rolling onto your belly, and essential oils. 

Let’s take this a step further. Some additional things that may be surprising to you that are not conducive to good sleep is CUDDLING! This might be a hard one to break away from. But we recommend getting your TLC in before sleep time. Cuddling often puts our bodies in spinal compromising positions. No good for you, or your partner’s bodily health. 

Another topic is mattress toppers. These may feel pillowy and delightful, but they are actually pretty ineffective in supporting your spine in any way, really. In fact, soft mattresses and mattress toppers create misalignment in the spine. Which is counter productive to all the work  you may be doing in our office to improve your spine health. Ditch the mattress topper and get yourself a medium to firm mattress. This will ensure good alignment and support your spine during sleep. 

It should be pretty obvious at this point how important constant spinal alignment and support are! Using these guidelines will ensure that you’re getting your proper beauty rest and giving your body the space it needs to recover at night. Follow our suggestions and we’re certain you will feel and see the difference!