Is your neck and back pain linked to the way you sleep?
Our CEO and Sleep Posture Expert James Leinhardt explains more…
“A lot of people we speak to tell us that they sleep in the position which feels the most comfortable for them when they’re falling asleep. However, just because it’s comfortable doesn’t mean it’s good for you. The way you position your body at night could be doing you no favours – and might well be causing you more long-term impacts than you realise.”
The Most Common Sleeping Positions
See how your current sleeping position could be affecting your body and sleep quality…
Position popularity:
15% of UK population
General issue:
May cause tightness in hip flexors
Can lead to:
Hip arthritis or pain
Position popularity:
20% of UK population
General issue:
SI joint problems and shoulder instability
Can lead to:
SI joint problems; top leg medial knee; shoulder problems
Position popularity:
2% of UK population
General issue:
Over extension of lumbar spine and neck rotation
Can lead to:
Back or neck problems
Position popularity:
14% of UK population
General issue:
Rotation of spine and lengthening of the piriformis muscle
Can lead to:
Hip arthritis/impingement problems
Position popularity:
5% of UK population
General issue:
Depending on mattress may cause over extension at lumbar spine
Can lead to:
Back pain especially stiffness
Position popularity:
1% of UK population
General issue:
Over extension of thoracolumbar/lumbar spine
Can lead to:
Shoulder or wrist problems – particularly any instability of the shoulder
Position popularity:
4% of UK population
General issue:
Over extension of lumbar spine and neck rotation
Can lead to:
Shoulder problems or back pain
Position popularity:
2% of UK population
General issue:
Hip and SI problems and likely to increase lumbar extension
Can lead to:
Hip arthritis or pain
Position popularity:
2% of UK population
General issue:
Lumbar extension and shoulder laxit
Can lead to:
Bad for shoulder problems
Position popularity:
5% of UK population
General issue:
Spinal rotation and anterior shoulder instability
Can lead to:
Shoulder problems
Position popularity:
5% of UK population
General issue:
May cause over lengthening of shoulder stabilisers
Can lead to:
Back pain or shoulder problems
So, what’s the best way to sleep?
Side sleeping! However, despite 33% of Britons saying that they slept on their side, 15% of those sleep with their knees tucked up and put strain on their lower backs. This means that only 18% side sleepers actually achieve the optimum position, which is….
The Dreamer: The optimum position for sleep
Positioning yourself on your side is the optimum position for a neutral spine, but not many are doing it properly! If you want to see what waking up with no pain is like, try:
- Selecting the right pillow height for you: not too high and not too low, but just perfect for your body shape and size
- Sticking your old pillow between your knees and ankles. This will help your hips remain neutral and help you achieve the optimum sleep posture
Sleep like the Olympians
80+ UK Olympians and the entire British Paralympic team took our advice to improve their sleep posture. Here’s how one of them got on.
Olympic cyclist Katy Marchant believed she was a side sleeper. But if you look closely, you’ll see she’s almost on her front in the before picture.
The excessive twist at at the waist wasn’t allowing Katy to access the full rest and recovery at night. Her daily training in the aerodynamic cycling position means that she’s often putting excess pressure on her spine, so the cyclist was eager to try working with our Sleep Posture Expert.
You can see the difference in Katy’s body position and the neutral alignment of her ankles, knees and hips in the picture. The ‘after’ position she’s achieved allows her body to relax and recover as she sleeps.
