Did you know that approximately 10 percent of people sleep on their backs? While this position is preferable to sleeping on your stomach-which we don’t recommend due to the increased stress it puts on your musculoskeletal system-there are some things you should do to make back sleeping more comfortable.
Place a small pillow underneath your knees so when your knees are down, there’s a slight flexion in them. That’s important to take off some of the pressure in the low back and keep that nice curvature.
How to Prevent Tossing and Turning
Whether you choose the back or side position, it’s important to have something wedged on either side-or from front to back if you’re on your side to keep you from rolling.
If you find that you toss or turn in your sleep, making sure to do that can help to reinforce that good sleep position. When you wake up, roll to one side or the other and press with your top arm as you bring your legs down and your upper torso meets.
Try to walk around for about five minutes after waking before bending, twisting or lifting because that will help to depressurize your disc space that becomes more hydrated as you sleep.
Check out Dr. Storm’s video for more information!