My patients often ask me, “What is the best way to sleep?” to which I always reply: “Well, what position do you sleep in?” The reason for this answer is that just by tweaking a few things here and there, you can get a restful and comfortable sleep no matter what position you actually sleep in.

back sleepers

Yes, this is actually the preferred sleeping position because it puts the least amount of stress on your spine, IF you:

Place a cervical roll or rolled towel under your neck. Make sure your head is in a neutral position (not looking up or down). If you find you can’t be “in neutral” then you need a smaller roll.

Put a pillow under your knees – this takes stress away
of your lower back. You could buy a special pillow for this, but one
regular pillow works fine.

side sleepers

-If you sleep on your side, then follow these tips to minimize the
amount of stress on the spine.

Use a neck pillow: Ideally, the pillow should take into account the width of your shoulders: the wider your shoulders, the higher the pillow should be. This is because you want to keep your neck in a neutral position. This will not only make you more comfortable, if you have hip joint pain this definitely helps. Try not to sleep on your side with your arm over your head, this causes stress on the nerves that come out of your neck and into your arms. and cause tingling or numbness in the arms.

sleep face down

This position puts the most stress on the neck.
In this position you have your head turned to one side or the other for hours. This is quite stressful on the muscles and joints of the neck.

Your body will try to change its position to compensate. This is the reason why people who toss and turn are the ones who sleep on their stomachs.

To sleep more comfortably (stomach sleepers):

Put a pillow under your waist and don’t use a pillow for your head.

Remember that there are other variables that will affect the quality of your sleep, such as the condition and firmness of your mattress. If your mattress is too old, it will sag and not provide enough support.

Avoid super soft mattresses; can feel comfortable
principle, but in the mornings, the lack of support will make you feel sore. Your mattress should be firm, but not hard to provide adequate support.

As with anything, if any of these recommendations cause increased pain, see your chiropractor; there may be other factors present that need to be checked by a professional.

Sweet dreams!