When you sleep, you probably have a preferred sleeping position. On your back, side, or stomach. It’s what is most comfortable to you and helps you sleep. We normally gravitate towards one specific position when we sleep.
There’s no handbooks or tutorials on how to sleep, so we just go with what we feel is most comfortable. But have you ever thought about what is the actual correct side to sleep on?
Today, you are going to learn what is the best sleep position as well as the top 3 fixes for better sleep.
How Sleep Position Affects Sleep
When analyzing sleep positions, it is worth noting that there are a lot of side effects that come with sleeping in the wrong position. These negative traits include:
Snoring
Sleep apnea symptoms
Neck & back pain
Feeling tired all day
These effects can be more noticeable in one sleep position than another, so it is important to try different positions out to see what works best for you.
The Best Position
After studying sleep patterns with associated sleep positions, we have found that the most comfortable way to sleep is on your side in the fetal position.
Sleeping like this has been known to help align the spine correctly. It is important to keep our spines aligned at all times, especially during sleep.
When you are awake and going about your day, you maintain your posture to keep your back straight. The same concept should apply to your sleep as well.
When we are resting during the night, we do not want to be in a position that can cause harm to our bodies. By keeping your spine and neck aligned during sleep, you are ensuring you are still maintaining your posture.
3 Top Tricks For Better Sleep
Now that we know that side sleep is essential for maintaining optimal sleep, we can use this knowledge to help us get better sleep. Below are the top 3 fixes to get your sleep back on track.
Upgrade Your Pillow
Your pillow is much more than a comfort tool. It should be looked at as an asset to your sleep and neck/spine alignment. Having a pillow that is specifically designed for your head is beneficial to great sleep. A bag of feathers just doesn’t cut it when it comes to getting the best sleep.
We recommend using an orthopedic pillow designed for side sleep. Our Head Spot pillow is the best choice as it is designed to accurately contour your head & neck for support. It is made of high-quality orthopedic foam made to evenly distribute the weight of your head on the pillow.
The main 2 things to consider in your pillow are tension and alignment. When your neck is in a tensed up position or in a position affecting spinal/neck alignment, it can cause problems in your neck and back.
The Head Spot has an orthopedic design made specifically for taking pressure off of the head and neck as well as putting your spine in perfect place while you sleep.
Double Up
Using a pillow tucked in between your legs when in the side position can help take pressure off of the hips. It can also help align your spine up to your pillow.
Adding more pillows to your sleep routine can help fix problems that you have in your sleeping position. Any pillow will work, just try it out tonight and see if it helps.
Include Physical Activity In Your Daily Routine
If you are active during the day, the chances of you having a deeper sleep will be a lot higher due to being tired. Take the time to incorporate exercise into your day to help promote better sleep.
Be careful when you work out. If you get active too close to your bedtime, you could counteract your sleep with a sudden boost of energy.
We recommend working out in the morning before you get started with your day. It might be a pain to get up earlier or get back into being active, but your sleep will improve tremendously. And don’t forget about how healthy and better you will feel after making your fitness a priority.
Conclusion
All it takes to get the best sleep is using these tricks. Try at least one for a week and see if it promotes better sleep. Feel free to let us know how it worked for you!