Some of us may experience aches, pains, weird clicking and popping sounds, dodgy knees and twinges in various other joints and muscles.
That seems to be a downside that goes along with ageing.
Sometimes not even being tucked up in bed can offer any sort of reprieve.
There are certain postures we should adopt to stop our back, neck and shoulder problems from getting worse.
Sleep is meant to be a time of recovery for our overall health. The quality of this recovery also depends on our sleep posture, as well as what we do before going to bed.
To help you tackle whichever aches or pains you’re experiencing, Bright Side have compiled recommendations from specialists on how your sleep position can fix these ailments.
1. Shoulder pain
If you frequently find you wake up with a sore shoulder, try to stop sleeping on either side.
Sleeping on your stomach should also be avoided as it causes misalignment of the shoulders.
Instead, try to get used to sleeping on your back.
Put a thin or orhopedic pillow under your head. Take another pillow, place it on your stomach, and hug it. Your shoulders will now be in the correct and stable position.
If you find you really can’t get along with this position, or find it hard to keep up, try lying on the shoulder that’s not causing you pain.
Draw your legs up slightly toward your chest, and place a pillow between your knees.
Be warned that sleeping with your hand under your head produces an unnatural position of the shoulder and should also be avoided.
2. Back pain
Maintaining the normal curves of your spine is very important with managing back pain – and an overly soft mattress won’t help.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but you should be sleeping on your back as much as possible.
Place a pillow under your knees to help restore natural spinal curves and reduce the tension in your tendons. A small rolled towel under your lower back can lend additional support.
If you prefer sleeping on your stomach, put a pillow under your lower abdomen and pelvis so that the small of your back doesn’t move forward.
If you’re a side-sleeper, your best bet is adopting the foetal position and putting a small pillow between your knees. This can help you take the load off your lower back.
3. Neck pain
As with back pain, your neck needs to be supported while you sleep.
The best way, in general, of doing this is to again sleep on your back with a pillow placed under your head and under each arm.
If neck problems are a common occurrence, you should invest in an orthopaedic pillow.
Side sleepers should ensure their pillow is quite flat and no thicker than 6 inches.
Ideally, the height of your pillow should match the width of one shoulder to help keep your neck in the correct position
People who prefer sleeping on their stomach should use the thinnest pillow possible and, ideally, not sleep in this position at all as lying all night with your head turned to one side will strain your neck.
