Many positions of Sleep
What position should I sleep in?
Brought to you by Collingwood Osteopath Lachlan Cossens who has been known to sleep on his stomach..
We can fall asleep in some funky positions. If you’re like me you’ve probably woken up in some pretty weird positions with a pretty sore neck! We quite often get asked about what position you should sleep in and what sort of pillow you should use so I thought I’d have a chat with you about it.
Side Sleeper
Side sleepers generally need a larger pillow to fill in the space between the shoulder and the neck. We generally see that people who aren’t getting enough support from their pillow end up putting their arm underneath it to try and support their neck. The firmness of the pillow is completely a preference based thing but people who prefer a softer pillow will generally need a higher pillow as when you lie down it will compress slightly.
Back Sleeper
Back sleepers can get away with a really small pillow as there isn’t a much space to fill in between your back and your head. Again the firmness is preference based.
Tummy Sleeper
The dreaded tummy sleepers. Having to twist your head and neck around at right angles just to breathe and then spending up to 8hrs in that position! As a general rule we prefer people not to sleep on their tummy due to the position it puts body into. In saying that, lots of people do sleep on their tummies and have no problems whatsoever. When you need to start thinking about a change is if you’re having persistent neck pain, waking up with neck pain or waking up with headaches as this may be part of the puzzle that is contributing to your complaint.
Sleeping is a habit and like changing any habit it can take some persistence to make a lasting change. If I’m trying to get someone to change from sleeping on their tummy I’ll get them to sleep on their side with a higher pillow and a pillow between their legs and potentially even one in front of their chest to hug. The idea is that it helps you to stop rolling over onto your tummy.
At the end of the day you need to get a pillow that’s right for you and suits the way you sleep. There is no point getting a fancy $300 duck down pillow if you sleep on your side and prefer a firm pillow. Between these 3 positions there is no ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect’ position to be in but instead your circumstances or your complaint may dictate what position to sleep in. If you’ve got any questions feel free to have a chat with us during your next appointment.
