There are many factors that affect spine health. One of these factors is sleeping positions. Wrong sleeping positions can cause pain in the body, negatively affect the person’s quality of life, and may cause movement restrictions after a while.
If your waist, back or neck hurts when you wake up in the morning, you may be sleeping in the wrong position. In order to find a solution to pain or disorders, it is necessary to first be conscious. Let’s not forget that the wrong sleeping position can cause hernias and even calcification. While lower back pain can disrupt sleep quality, incorrect sleeping position can also cause lower back or neck pain and even hernias.
In some lying positions, the natural curves of the spine may be strained or may remain under excessive and prolonged pressure. At the same time, reasons such as obesity can cause various pains and fatigue as a result of sleep apnea.
Wrong sleeping positions affect the spine
The prone sleeping position is not recommended for individuals who complain of pain in the shoulder, waist and neck areas. It has been determined that the best sleeping position for those with a herniated disc is the side sleeping position. A pillow should be placed between the legs in the side sleeping position. It is ideal for those with a cervical disc herniation to sleep on their back using a pillow that supports the neck arch.
An ideal mattress should be hard enough to prevent the body from sinking, and soft enough to protect the body contours, that is, it should be designed in a way that preserves the natural curvatures and does not cause the curvatures to increase or decrease.
People spend a significant part of the day resting in bed, that is, sleeping. The aim here is to save the discs, tendons, muscles and joints from the bad effects of pressure, to relax and breathe, so that they can be ready for a new stress and load the next day.
The ideal mattress should be suitable for the body structure and should be purchased by trying it on; The body should not be uncomfortable in the bed, should not be forced, should not be buried in the bed.
Both very hard and very soft mattresses cause the ligaments, joints, muscles that hold and support our vertebrae together, and the capsule of the disc, which we call the annulus, to be excessively stretched, and this can repeat every night and cause unwanted problems.
No single type of bed is right for every patient; A bed specific to the person, weight and discomfort should be selected. After being used for a while, the side on which you sleep constantly becomes deformed and hollow, and it should be used or replaced by changing the other side.
Correct sleeping positions
The ideal sleeping position is lying on your back or side to side. A pillow placed between the patient’s legs in the side position is beneficial for the spine. While it is recommended to lie on your side with support between your knees and bend your knees, it should be taken into consideration that this lying position may cause the muscles at the back of the thigh to shorten. This shortening may disrupt upright posture during the day and cause lower back pain. For this reason, sleeping with knees bent should only be done in mandatory situations and for short periods of time. Additionally, it is not recommended for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients to sleep with their knees bent.
Wrong sleeping positions
Lying face down is definitely not recommended as it causes excessive lumbar arches, strains on facet joints, and causes waist and neck pain or hernias. However, the prone position is recommended for Ankylosing Spondylitis patients. In addition, careless sleep during travels causes neck pain, and it is important to redesign long-travel vehicles. A travel pillow should be used on long trips. Sleeping using a high pillow clearly causes neck pain. Patients who need to sleep with a high pillow due to other diseases should support their neck arch with a second orthopedic pillow.
To avoid back pain, you should first sit on the bed and lie on your side when going to bed. If sleeping on your back is planned, you should first sit on the bed, lie on your side and turn over on your back. If you wake up on your back in the morning, you should first turn to your side and then straighten your spine by supporting your arms and elbows while hanging your legs down.
