Bad Sleeping Positions

Injures, aches & pains of the body are often the result of accumulated stress that has been placed on the body. A big contributor is the position you sleep in.

Every night when you go to bed, the position you lay in for up to 8 hours can be adding constant stress to your body and be the tipping point to cause injury or simply keeping you from being at your physical best.

Common sleeping positions to try to stop include:

-          Sleeping on your stomach. Especially on softer beds, this position can hyperextend the lower back and place extra strain on the spinal nerves

-          Turning your head to the side. When sleeping on your stomach this is essential to breathe, however it contributes to neck pain and stiffness

-          Positioning an arm under your head and pillow. This position causes the shoulder muscles to hold at their maximum range of motion, which increases the risk of straining the rotator cuff muscles or cause impingement in the shoulder

-          Draping one leg over the other when laying on your side. Draping one leg over twists the pelvis and lower back, and stretches the hip muscles for this amount of time

-          Pointing your toes, also known as Plantar Flexion. This can contribute to plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinopathy

Changing your sleeping position isn’t always an easy thing to do but is definitely worth it.

For more information about how to improve your sleeping position and also what are the best pillows please contact our Chiropractor today.