Can't Sleep Comfortably on Either Side? Physiotherapist Teaches You How to Find the Most Comfortable Sleeping Position

Edwin Ng Physiotherapist
05/07/2024

Home » Pain Pathologies » Can’t Sleep Comfortably on Either Side? Physiotherapist Teaches You How to Find the Most Comfortable Sleeping Position

Sleep is one of the most precious times of our day and the best opportunity for our bodies to repair themselves. Good sleep also helps maintain physical health and prevent illness. If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain won’t function properly, affecting your concentration, thinking abilities, and memory. Therefore, adults need about 7-8 hours of sleep per day, children need more, around 9-14 hours, and the elderly need a bit less, around 6-7 hours.

Your body’s ability to repair itself depends on the quality of your sleep, which can be influenced by your emotional state and the surrounding environment. One of the key factors is your sleeping position. This article will analyze the causes of discomfort during sleep and help you find the most suitable sleeping position for yourself.

Internal Factors Affecting Sleeping Posture

Body flexibility: Good flexibility can reduce muscle tension and stiffness, allowing your body to adopt a more natural and comfortable sleeping position, avoiding back pain or other discomforts caused by an improper sleeping position.
Personal medical history: Your body has a natural mechanism to protect injured or diseased areas. For example, people with long-term stomach issues may curl their bodies to the left, while those with long-term right back issues may lean or twist their bodies to the right.
Psychological factors: Your sleeping position not only reflects physical issues but also reveals your subconscious state.

External Factors Affecting Sleeping Posture

Indoor lighting: Light plays a crucial role in regulating your biological clock by inhibiting the secretion of melatonin, which affects your ability to fall asleep.
Indoor sounds: Moderate ambient sounds can help you fall asleep, but excessive noise can prevent deep sleep.
Indoor temperature: Everyone has a different optimal temperature, and being too hot or too cold can affect sleep quality.
Mattress support: Everyone has their own preference for mattress firmness, but generally, it should provide adequate support for the spine.
Pillow height and support: Depending on your preferred sleeping position, for back sleeping, the pillow should allow your neck to maintain its natural curve, while for side sleeping, it should provide enough support for the width of your shoulders.

Adjustments For Lying on the Back

With lower back, quadriceps, or back muscles tightness: Bend your knees and place a pillow or soft cushion under them to relax the muscles and allow your lower back to lie flat. If you’re still uncomfortable, use a triangular or soft cushion to prop up your back and sleep at an angle.
With SCM muscles tightness: Pay special attention to the pillow thickness. You can choose a thicker pillow or fold a towel under your regular pillow to elevate your neck, allowing the muscles in the front to relax.
With chest muscles tightness: Place a small pillow under the tight shoulder; if both shoulders are tight, you can place pillows under both.
With calf cramps or tightness: If there’s a wall at the foot of your bed, you can place a soft cushion against it and gently press your feet into it to relax your calf muscles. Be careful not to push down forcefully with your soles.

Adjustments For Side Lying

With one-sided neck muscles tightness: Don’t sleep on the tight side; instead, turn to the other side and ensure your pillow is thick enough.
With single shoulder pain: Don’t sleep on the tight side; instead, turn to the other side and place a folded towel under your armpit to support and relax the muscles.
With hip muscles tightness: Place a thick pillow or soft cushion between your thighs to support and relax your hip muscles.

Possible Preparations Before Sleep

Heating pads: Use a heating pad or hot water bottle on areas prone to stiffness, such as your lower back, upper back, or shoulders, to help relax muscles and improve blood circulation.
Massaging and stretching tight muscles: Massage or gently stretch muscles that have been overused during the day, such as your neck, shoulders, arms, and legs. Gentle massaging and moderate stretching can release muscle tension.
Breathing exercises: Practice deep breathing or abdominal breathing exercises to help relax your nerves and calm your emotions. Slow, rhythmic breathing can help you enter a relaxed state.

【Read more】How to Relieve Sciactica? 3 Tips to Maintain Proper Posture

MANA Core Values

Integration of Eastern and Western Medicine, Multidimensional Therapy
Reshaping Structural Integrity to Achieve Inner and Outer Balance
Guiding Body Perception to Think & Foster a Healthy Lifestyle
Conducted by Registered TCM Practitioners and Physiotherapists for Examination and Treatment

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