Best Sleeping Positions

“Hey Doc, what position should I sleep in?”

This is a question we hear all the time from patients. When I answer it, I have to consider the individual patient, but there are a few general rules that everyone should consider.

Remember, the quality and quantity of your sleep will have a huge impact on your overall health; getting less than six hours of sleep per night has been connected to increased risk of some cancers and other health problems.

Try to consider the following when getting your beauty sleep:

  1. Avoid sleeping on your stomach. When you’re on your stomach, unless you can breathe through your ears, you have to sleep with your head rotated to the side. This can put a lot of stress on your neck and can easily result in an extra trip to our office.
  2. Maintain a neutral spine. Whether you’re sleeping on your side or back, do your best to keep your spine in a neutral position. So when it comes to your pillow options, you’ll need a smaller one if you sleep on your back than if you’re on your side. Also, if you are a side-sleeper, put a pillow between your knees; this will help keep you from twisting your low back.
  3. No screens in bed. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 90 percent of Americans regularly use a computer or electronic device of some kind in the hour before bed. Screen time right before bed can affect your ability to drift off to sleep and negatively impacts melatonin levels. This can not only affect your sleep quality, but can increase your risk of diabetes and obesity. Perhaps the status update can wait till morning?

The Wall Street Journal had a great graphic included with an article they printed on sleep, check it out:


“Hey Doc, what position should I sleep in?”

This is a question we hear all the time from patients. When I answer it, I have to consider the individual patient, but there are a few general rules that everyone should consider.

Remember, the quality and quantity of your sleep will have a huge impact on your overall health; getting less than six hours of sleep per night has been connected to increased risk of some cancers and other health problems.

Try to consider the following when getting your beauty sleep:

  1. Avoid sleeping on your stomach. When you’re on your stomach, unless you can breathe through your ears, you have to sleep with your head rotated to the side. This can put a lot of stress on your neck and can easily result in an extra trip to our office.
  2. Maintain a neutral spine. Whether you’re sleeping on your side or back, do your best to keep your spine in a neutral position. So when it comes to your pillow options, you’ll need a smaller one if you sleep on your back than if you’re on your side. Also, if you are a side-sleeper, put a pillow between your knees; this will help keep you from twisting your low back.
  3. No screens in bed. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 90 percent of Americans regularly use a computer or electronic device of some kind in the hour before bed. Screen time right before bed can affect your ability to drift off to sleep and negatively impacts melatonin levels. This can not only affect your sleep quality, but can increase your risk of diabetes and obesity. Perhaps the status update can wait till morning?

The Wall Street Journal had a great graphic included with an article they printed on sleep, check it out:


City Chiropractic Location

Address

806 SW Broadway #350,
Portland, OR 97205

Office Hours

Monday  

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday  

Closed

Wednesday  

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Thursday  

2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Friday  

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday  

Closed

Sunday  

Closed

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