More than 70 million Americans report having issues with various sleep disorders and experience sleep loss. But, how many people know that what's causing these issues is their sleep posture.
Yes, you read that right, your sleep posture can be affecting your health in ways that you never knew about. And that's why we're glad you've visited our site.
We're going to fill you in on all the problems that you may be facing because of the way that you sleep and give you ways to fix it. Whether you're sleeping or simply lying down, you could be hurting yourself without even knowing it.
Don't want to take our word for it continue reading know for the 411 on your sleeping position.
Why Do You Sleep the Way You Do?
The position that you currently sleep in is simply it's the most comfortable way to sleep. You may be used to sleeping that way or because you're sharing a room with someone else and adjusting the way you sleep to make space for them in the bed.
For whatever reason, we all have our favorite sleeping positions that we find our way to at some point in the night. Have you ever woken with a sore shoulder or hip and been confused as to what caused it?
Your sleeping position is the culprit, and we know you're thinking, " but it's so comfortable." We know and understand, but after you read this, you're going to think twice about how you've been sleeping. It may be challenging to change your sleeping position, but it will become easier to make the change when it comes down to improving your health.
Some specific things contribute to the way you sleep that goes beyond personal preference.
Your Gender
It's been done many times in various studies that span many topics. And that is the study of how differently men and women do things from showering to eating, and yes, you guessed it sleeping. It should come as no surprise that your gender affects the way that you choose to sleep.
Women have to change their sleeping habits various times throughout their lives to make room for specific changes. For example, if a woman is pregnant, they learn to adapt and sleep on their sides. If a woman sleeps on her back, she risks cutting of nerve blood flow, which is dangerous for both her and the baby.
And for obvious reasons, she can't sleep on her stomach as her belly continues to grow. Also, sleeping on her back would make it challenging to breathe throughout the night. Whereas men are more likely to sleep on their backs.
We know this because men are more likely to snore than women, and typically people who snore sleep on their backs or have issues with sleep apnea.
Your Age
Your age will also affect the way that you sleep. When we're younger, we tend to sleep in various positions as we move throughout the night, but as we continue to age, moving frequently becomes lesser and lesser.
How often have you found yourself in a different position than you were when you went to sleep? As you get older, this isn't going to happen as much, and you're going to find that you prefer one sleeping position over the others.
Also, as you get older because of things like chronic pain and stiffness, you may choose to sleep one way to ensure maximum comfort as you're sleeping. Now that you know the factors that contribute to your sleeping positions let's get into your favorite sleeping positions and how they affect your health.
Stomach Sleepers
This may seem like the best and most comfortable position for you to sleep in. And while it is quite comfortable, there are some downsides to sleeping in this position. If you're concerned about aging faster than you're supposed to then, it could be your sleeping position.
Think about every night when you lay on your stomach, you're placing your face directly on your pillow. By doing this, you're reinforcing the lines on your face that help to increase your wrinkles. The more you do this, the deeper these wrinkles will get.
And you'll find that sleeping on your stomach while a natural position can lead to severe neck pain. The reason for this is the only part that's being cradled by the pillow is your head.
Meaning that it leaves your neck sagging between the mattress and the pillow leading to neck pain. As a stomach sleeper, you may also find that you can experience an increase in back pain.
The reason for this is the pressure that you're putting on your back while you're asleep. If you must continue to sleep on your stomach, you're going to want to find a supportive mattress and a pillow that supports both your neck and head while you're sleeping.
Back Sleepers
If you're a back sleeper power to you because you make up the small group of people who sleep on their backs. For many people sleeping on their backs can be challenging, but you would be surprised that sleeping on your back is very beneficial to your health.
Sleeping on your back is beneficial because it can reduce the chronic pain that you may experience when you sleep in some of the other sleeping positions. This is the case because when you sleep on your back, it takes the pressure and stress off your muscles.
And when you're muscles aren't continually being stretched while you're sleeping, it allows you to completely relax and get a restful night of sleep. Sleeping on your back also keeps you from getting wrinkles and reduces the likelihood of facial breakouts.
Your skin can breathe when you're sleeping on your back, but with the positives, there are also some negative aspects to sleeping on your back. As mentioned earlier, for pregnant women, sleeping on your back can compress your nerves, robbing your unborn child of valuable nutrients.
If you're someone that snores sleeping on your back can make it worse than it actually is. While that's as far as the negatives go when sleeping on your back to get the most out of sleeping on your back, ensure that you've got the right mattress support that allows your body to be in its most natural position.
Side Sleepers
Remember, when we mentioned that your sleeping position can cause you to experience shoulder and hip pain? This would be the position that we're talking about because of the constant pressure that you're inflicting on your limbs when you're sleeping.
There have been discussions that sleeping on your left or right side can have a worse effect on your health. It's said that if you sleep on your right side frequently, you'll experience increased heartburn issues than if you slept on your left side.
Whether you sleep on the right or left side of your body, you're going to experience numbing in your limbs because your limbs' blood flow is restricted while you're sleeping. When your legs and arms become numb, it will cause you to wake up because you're uncomfortable.
If you've got issues with digestion, all you need to do is sleep on your body's left side because it allows gravity to do its job. Meaning it helps the food that's in your digestive tract to continue moving through the digestive tract.
Sleeping on your left side can also help relieve symptoms of heartburn. Side sleepers may also be known as fetal sleepers depending on how curled up they sleep. Regardless the position clearly has many health benefits for those that sleep this way.
Now that you've found out how your sleeping position affects your health, we're now going to dive into how to set yourself up for the best night of sleep.
Daily Exposure to Light
Much like when you were first born, you had to learn to differentiate between night and day. Even as adults, the amount of light that you're exposed to can make it challenging to get better sleep at night.
The best way to set yourself up for restful sleep at night is to ensure that you've been exposed to the right amount of light. You don't want to sit inside with all of the lights cut off all day because you'll find that your body faces challenged differentiating from night and day.
Get the Right Mattress
Not having the right mattress can affect the way that you sleep. While you may feel that having a mattress that is overly firm or soft is the right choice for you it may not be.
Having a mattress that is too soft isn't going to provide you with the support that you need while sleeping. When your body isn't supported eventually, you will face issues with back, joint, and neck pain. On the opposite side of that, you don't want a mattress that is too firm.
A mattress that is too firm can also cause issues as far as pain goes, and it can make you feel uncomfortable when you're sleeping, which causes you to wake frequently at night.
Get Better Pillows
The pillow you select to use while you're sleeping can help make sleep better or make it worse. If you've chosen a firm pillow, it may force you to hold your neck in a way that is unnatural to your body position.
And when your neck is in a position where it's higher than your body, it can cause you to have neck pain. If you choose a pillow that's too soft, it may cause your head to sit lower than your neck.
This again puts your head and neck in an awkward position that eventually will lead to some sort of neck pain. Select a pillow that supports your head and neck at the same time.
Use Maternity-Style Knee Pillows
You may be thinking that you're not pregnant and you're not a woman, but sleeping with a maternity knee pillow is beneficial, especially when you struggle with chronic pain. If you suffer from low circulation in your legs, you can use a maternity pillow under your knees to ensure you're not in the same position all night.
And if you sleep on your side, you can alleviate your joints resting on each other and creating pain because of the pressure putting the pillow between your knees. Depending on where you should, the pillow you choose can be purchased at a relatively low price.
Have a Routine
To achieve the best night of sleep, you need to have a nighttime routine. Your routine should begin about an hour to two hours before bed and begin by eliminating all blue light sources.
Depending on your nighttime routine, you can ensure that you and your body are calm before going to bed. When you're lying down, your body will naturally gravitate to a position that helps you get the best night of sleep.
Not having a nighttime routine could mean that your body isn't ready to go to bed when you are. And when your mind and body are on different time clocks, it can cause you to lose valuable sleep.
Your Sleep Posture is More Than a Position
When it comes to your sleep posture, there are many ways to affect your health and quality of sleep. If you take the time to learn ways to improve it and establish a bedtime routine, you can reverse some of the adverse effects you experience from these positions.
At Everlasting Comfort, we specialize in helping you get the best sleep you possibly can. We have products that can help improve back, hip, neck, and knee relief; all you've got to do is choose your category and shop.
If you're not able to find what you're looking for, don't hesitate to contact us. We want to ensure that our customers are comfortable at all times.
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