How to Improve Your Sleep and Avoid Bad Habits
Do you wake up with pain or stiffness after a night of sleep? Do you often experience difficulty falling asleep? In the United States, two thirds of adults experience this on a daily basis and are unable to clock in the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep. Sleep has been scientifically proven to promote a healthy heart, improve memory retention, repair muscle, improve the immune system, and above all regulate hormone balance. This greatly influences your mood, your learning ability, your alertness, risk of obesity or diabetes, and overall well-being.
Here are some tips that may help you get a better night’s sleep and help you avoid future back or neck pain. But first, let’s go down the list of the 4 most common ways to sleep!
BACK SLEEPERS
This is by far the best sleeping position although a staggering 8% of adults adopt this sleeping position. Sleeping on your back keeps your head, neck, and spine aligned which keeps you from waking up at night from pain or discomfort. This also avoids pressure on your joints, wards off acid reflux, reduces heartburn, and a special bonus; reduces wrinkles since your face isn’t pressed against a pillow. However those who suffer from Sleep Apnea (Periods of breathlessness) may want to avoid this position as your tongue may block your airway. And for those who snore, sleeping on your back can make it more severe.
SIDE SLEEPERS
Coming in second place are the side sleepers! Although a big topic of debate over which position is better, I strongly agree that this style is the second best and here’s why. Now let’s assume your pillow is not overly stuffed to the point where you’re craning your neck upward, or its not severely flat where you’re dropping your neck below neck-spine alignment. Let’s assume you own a cervical pillow (specially designed pillow to fill in the groove of your neck and head with adequate support) or that your pillow is stuffed just right enough to keep your head neck and spine aligned; along with another pillow tucked between your legs and knees for maximum comfort and hip alignment. This still leaves your shoulder to absorb a majority of your body weight along with factoring arm positions that can only worsen this effect. Keep your hand tucked under your head and not the pillow and this will lessen the pressure on your rotator cuff. About 15 percent of adults choose this option and for those who suffer from Sleep Apnea, this is the best-recommended sleeping position. This style will still reduce acid reflux, heartburn, and neck/back pain so long as your have the right pillows and the right level.
FETAL POSITION SLEEPERS
Surprisingly enough, this is the most popular sleep position at a whopping 41 percent! This position is where you lay on your side, hunch your torso and bend your knees in as if you were trying to hug them. Make sure to lay on your left side, as this is most advantageous to your organ system and will improve blood circulation. This is also the recommended way to sleep if you are pregnant, as the increased blood flow and supporting pillows will be most comfortable for you and your little one. Otherwise, be aware of how your legs and back feel in the morning. Overly hunching your torso can lead to back pain and overly hugging your knees can restrict breathing in your diaphragm. Make sure to have a pillow between your knees to cushion your joints and align your hips with your back and practice stretching out your legs when you can.
To Continue Reading About The Last Position (Stomach Sleepers) and to for tips on transitioning, Click Here To Read The Full Article On Our Original Post.
