Do you want to improve your health as you sleep? It is good to consider certain sleeping positions, so here are some common problems you might have and the best sleep position to deal with them.

Sleep is good, and your body needs it to function at its best. In addition, you might love sleep, but you feel you are not getting enough of it.

Well, this may be due to your sleeping position, surprisingly enough. The position you sleep in does not only determine the quality of sleep you get every night, but it also plays a role in your long term health.

The lifestyles we live today are not good, as we suffer from more lifestyle illnesses at earlier ages. You may do your best to focus on your diet, lifestyle choices as well as your exercise regime, but it is easy to forget that sleep quality and quantity also determines your health. Bad sleeping positions, even if you select the best mattress from nectar mattress reviews, can actually compromise your health, and your efforts to maintain it through these other ways. 

Why is it important to have a good sleeping position?

 

The average amount of time a human being spends asleep is almost 25 years throughout your life, or a quarter of your life. That should underscore the importance of good sleep quality, as it allows the body and mind to rest and recover from the events of the day. You also need between seven and nine hours of sleep every day, but the truth is – we are hardly getting enough.

When you have poor sleeping positions every night, it ultimately has the same result on health as lack of sleep does. This is because there are some health problems that can increase or be caused by poor positions. However, you can prevent the chances of the problem occurring, thanks to certain sleeping positions that can improve your overall health and improve your blood pressure.

Back aches and pains

The position you occupy throughout the night will play a major role in determining whether you will suffer from back pains. Even though it is good to sleep in the position you find most comfortable, it is a different issue when you experience regular back pains – there are recommendations for you to sleep in.

To help in reducing back pain, you can lie flat on your back and place a pillow under the knees (pillows are always your best friend). You can also place a pillow or rolled up towel under your back’s curve.

This position is helpful because the back does not strain, and your spine will lay in a more natural position – which ensures you sleep well and wake up feeling refreshed. 

Pain in the shoulders

 

Have you ever woken up one morning and felt pain in your shoulders? That can happen many times, especially when you sleep on your arm in the wrong position. You can also experience it during the day as you go through your activities, thanks to wrong sleeping positions.

To reduce this, it is a good idea to lay on your side while the legs are bent slightly (again, you can use a pillow to help them stay in place). Pillows can also help when you place them next to your chest, or tucking pillows between the knees to act as an extra source of stability.

Headaches and migraines

The chances of these happening can additionally be influenced by the sleeping position you use. Many headaches are particularly cause by twisting of the neck during sleep, especially for people who sleep on their stomach.

When this happens, the nerves and muscles of the neck are forced to handle a big part of your body weight while you are asleep, and this interferes with the flow of blood to the head – leading to a headache in the morning. This is the main reason why sleeping on the stomach is not advisable – it is better to sleep on your side (especially left side) and your back.

 Neck pains




Aside from having a migraine or headache, sleeping in the wrong posture can add unnecessary pressure to the neck and creates pain when you wake up. This makes it important to add some support to the neck to avoid problems in the morning.

An option you can use is a small rolled up towel, which you place directly under your neck for some support and head elevation. If you tend to move a lot while you sleep, you can elevate the support even more by using a combination of a pillow and the towel. Changing positions of pillows will lead to less support in the neck posture, and may also result in added damage and pain.

High blood pressure

One of the major reasons of obstructive sleep apnea developing in someone is high blood pressure – in fact, almost half of patients with the sleeping disorder tend to suffer from hypertension as well. Growing scientific research seems to confirm the importance of treating sleep apnea, as it also reduces high blood pressure.

Sleeping on the left side shows to help with managing sleep apnea, and adopting supine sleep positions also prove to help a person suffering from high blood pressure.

 Issues with your sinuses

 

Having a common cold or some other respiratory illness is hard enough, but the trouble comes when you are trying to sleep with a blocked nose. However, poor sleep posture also plays a role in sinus issues, in addition to the ability of your body to heal quickly after getting a sinus infection.

The main reason why it is challenging to breathe properly while you sleep during sickness is because the mucus tends to collect more in the nasal passage when your head is lying flat. Therefore, when you elevate your head during sleep (using pillows, of course), your nasal passages have a lesser chance of becoming blocked, and you can breathe easier.

Final thoughts

Sleep is important to the functioning of the body, but it is also vital in maintaining your long term health. Therefore, making proper sleep positions a priority will improve the quality of your sleep, and help in making you refreshed when you wake up – a key factor for increasing productivity.

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