When looking at the picture above, there is only one Chiropractor approved position for both the male and female in this picture. Do you know which one it is?

This is a common question for me to ask patients on their first visit. I personally put a lot of concentration on patient’s posture. How patients sit, sleep and stand on a regular basis is a huge contributor to their everyday symptoms. I ask patients if they consider themselves to have good, fair, or poor posture and if they sleep on their side, back, stomach, or a combination of.

I further explain, that if you were to sleep on your stomach, it comes at a consequence. Your spine is designed to be symmetrical and likes to have its natural curves supported when in the same position for a long period of time, under stress or fatigue. Sleeping on your stomach means you must turn your head (if you want to breathe), if you raise one or both elbows above your shoulders, and then one knee higher than the other. Can you picture what that looks like? That is a twisted spine folks.

Some people like to say they sleep on their side but in all reality, they sleep in a twist. If both knees are touching the bed and you are on one shoulder, that is not on your side. That is a twisted sleeping posture. Another sleeping posture that will create issues over time.

I mentioned elbows above shoulders… this applies to side, back and stomach sleeping. When you raise your elbows above your shoulders, you activate the upper 2/3 of your Trapezius muscle. Then if you like that position for long periods of time, that soft tissue or muscle will start to conform to that length and add to the already present human issue of upper cross syndrome. We need the bottom 1/3 of Trapezius muscle to be toned/activated/facilitated/stimulated, not the upper 2/3.

I suggest a contoured pillow. I have my favorite on my practice website under recommended products. This pillow comes in different sizes for different shoulder widths and body frames. I measure patients in the office or there are measurement instructions on the Amazon page where the pillow is found.  These contoured pillows need to be used the proper way. If you have a contoured pillow, just make sure you are using the right side of the pillow. Large side typically will be when you are on your side and small side when on your back. Notice there is no stomach sleeping option?

I also suggest body pillows when on your side… You can find body pillows anywhere but the important thing here is that knees need to have a slight bend in them and also be even with each other. This is where the body pillow helps. No one likes their knees touching so they will stagger them, well that creates pelvis issues and obliquity that your pelvis will learn to be normal. Especially if things are done often, that is raising your right knee above your other or vice versa. Other examples of this knee offset that can create pelvis issues are, crossing legs the same way all the time, wallets in the back pocket, leaning to one side when standing… The body pillow will also help you stomach sleepers stay on your side. Always preferred by your local Chiropractor. Does any of these sleeping postures or habits speak to you?

Lastly, sleeping on your back. With the right side up on that contoured pillow, you can use another pillow or that body pillow and put it under your knees creating a bend in them and putting your heels on the bed. This will help give some slack to those hamstring muscles and let your pelvis relax a little. This is a highly recommended position for those with chronic lower back pain.

Some other sleeping don’ts include fetal position sleeping or sleeping on the couch. There is no way to do this correctly. When sleeping on the couch, most people will not have their back supported, their head will have fallen forward or to the side, and their knees are uneven. Couches are not like beds. Beds are made for sleeping and couches are made for sitting. Seems obvious but Chiropractors see patients all the time after they have fallen asleep on the couch and now either have back or neck pain. Fetal positions when sleeping are bad because having your knees above your hips will cause the lower back to round which takes away the God-given curve that your joints and discs prefer, called your Lumbar Spine lordosis.

Remember the question I asked in the beginning? Do you know the correct answer now?

I hope you learned something today.  Thanks for reading – and stay well.  Dr. SJ