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Best sleeping position: The importance of a good posture for better sleep

By Guardian Nigeria
21 December 2022   |   12:37 am
Sleep is essential to maintain good physical and mental health. Specialists recommend that a person should sleep at least 8 hours to prevent the body from getting sick over the years. However, only some people manage to get that amount of hours of rest. Normally, we don’t consider the position in which we lie down,…

Sleep is essential to maintain good physical and mental health. Specialists recommend that a person should sleep at least 8 hours to prevent the body from getting sick over the years. However, only some people manage to get that amount of hours of rest.

Normally, we don’t consider the position in which we lie down, or we don’t give it enough importance. Believe it or not, your sleeping position is important and can be decisive when getting good quality sleep. That’s why in this post, we’re going to show you the best sleeping position so you can enjoy a good night’s sleep.

What are the best sleeping positions?

The position in which we sleep will condition the rest of the day and our subsequent health, so it’s good to know what’s the best sleeping position. Let’s take a look at what experts recommend:

Face-Up

If this is your favorite position, you should use a pillow that properly fits your head and neck.

The pillow should be somewhat hard, although it’s better if it’s a smart one. The important thing is that it’s not one of those flat, shapeless pillows.

However, sleeping on your back is not advisable for those who suffer from lower back pain (lordosis), as this posture can cause the back to arch even more.

If that’s the case, place a knee pillow or large pillow under your knees to prevent this from happening (This is a very good one for back sleepers).

This way, your legs will remain elevated, and your lumbar spine will be flat while maintaining a neutral line.

Side Sleeping

It’s considered the perfect sleeping position, especially on the left side. This position keeps the spine aligned and in a neutral position.

If you opt for this position, you should use a knee pillow between your legs. This will allow you to maintain good spine, hips, legs, and knees alignment. And therefore, achieve proper blood circulation and less pressure on the legs and knees.

It’s the best posture because it reduces the risk of lumbar and cervical pain, improves digestion, and is the best posture to facilitate breathing and avoid apneas.

Face-Down

If you usually sleep like this, we have to tell you that it’s considered the worst sleeping position.

It’s because the spine doesn’t rest properly when suspended. In turn, the thorax doesn’t expand properly due to the pressure exerted by the mattress. All this will cause you to get up several times during the night.

Try changing this sleeping position and find one that helps you get the rest you need to take care of your health.

If you find it hard to change your posture or simply don’t want to, you can use a small pillow under the abdomen to raise both the lumbar area and the thorax, this improves the position a little, but still, it’s the worst possible posture.

Which mattress helps you rest better?

A variety of mattresses are made to mold your body and, thus, achieve a full rest. The ideal is to opt for a mattress that relieves body pressure and tension points to achieve quality sleep.

A quality mattress with the right foam and/or springs will help you find the ideal position to achieve a pleasant sleep and a comfortable rest.

Many people wonder what the best mattress is. In reality, the answer has more variables than you might think.

If you sleep on your back, the best mattress for you is a high-firmness mattress. If, on the other hand, you sleep on your side, an intermediate firmness mattress is ideal. And if you sleep on your stomach, even though, as we said before, it’s the worst way to sleep, the ideal mattress for you is a soft mattress.

How to choose the ideal pillow?

Have you ever felt that you are sleeping but not resting? You should probably change your pillow.

Undoubtedly, the choice of a pillow, as well as the choice of a mattress, is one of the main factors to take into account to have a truly restful sleep, since it has been scientifically proven that the support and structure of a proper pillow are essential during rest.

Neutral cervical alignment prevents pain during and after sleep, so choosing a good pillow could prevent contractures and severe cervical pain, which could even lead to a herniated disc, among other possible injuries.

When choosing a pillow, it’s crucial to consider that it has the ideal height and firmness for the person who will use it.

The position of our body during sleep is another factor to take into account when choosing the perfect pillow since a pillow for back sleepers isn’t the same as a pillow for side sleepers.

For example, high pillows are ideal for side sleepers, while medium-height pillows are perfect for back sleepers. However, it is not highly recommended for stomach sleepers.

Types of pillows

Memory foam pillows

This pillow is ideal for all types of people since the viscoelastic foam is flexible and allows it to adapt to the shape of the head and even the knees, which helps maintain the correct line of the spine and back, providing a restful rest.

Latex pillows

These pillows are filled with natural or synthetic latex or a combination of both. They provide flexibility without losing firmness and shape and provide high resistance according to the posture.

Feather pillows

Although they are soft, moldable, and thin, the least recommended pillows are feather pillows since, after a while, the feather loses its delicacy, and the air that forms it begins to disappear.

Feather pillows are recommended for those who sleep on their stomach (although, as already mentioned, this posture isn’t recommended).

Synthetic pillows

These are the cheapest pillows you can find on the market, so the price-quality ratio is quite reasonable. Pillows filled with synthetic materials last only a short time, as they flatten easily and aren’t adaptable, so they don’t offer a good posture for the head and neck.

Buckwheat pillows

I didn’t want to finish listing the types of pillows without mentioning this one.

This type of pillow has several advantages. Because they’re made naturally, they minimize the chances of allergies and respiratory problems. In addition, you can adjust it to your liking by removing or adding the filler content.

While this type of natural pillow is becoming very popular, it tends to be very hard if you’re used to soft pillows.

Pillow shapes

If we talk about pillow shapes, we can mention the four most helpful for a good rest.

  • Traditional: These are the classic rectangular pillows that most people use to sleep in any
  • Butterfly: These are pillows that narrow in the center and widen on the sides (hence the name). This type of pillow is ideal for people who suffer from cervical or dorsal pain.
  • Cervical: The cervical pillow is best for those with head, neck, back, or apnea problems.
  • Roller: Roller pillows are those that are tube-shaped and are usually made of viscoelastic material. They allow a correct posture of the neck, spine, and legs, i.e., they can be placed in any area of the body, making them multi-purpose pillows. One of the most popular is the Cervical Neck Roll Pillow, which is excellent for supporting the cervical spine and reducing neck

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