Mind your posture

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We live in a day and age of technology and as a result we suffer from bad posture. If you sit infront of a laptop , you probably slouch or cross your legs or don't have the correct ergonomics. We all have cellphones and we all text. How is your neck positioned? Perhaps you have already been made aware of these causes-perhaps not. But there is one specific cause that might be overlooked- how do you sleep? I don't mean how well or badly you sleep.  What position do you find most comfortable?

I would like to state that  I am sharing as a massage therapist and what I have leant in this regard. This post does not contain  everything there is to know about sleeping positions and the effects thereof. Rather the aim of this post is to help you get started on the right track, and get you looking in right places for information.  

Massage can aid to loosen those tight muscles and help with any muscle pain but if you suffer from more than muscular pain , have an operation ( fusions included) or have an injury  , please go and see a specialist. They will be able to diagnose underlying the problems  and advise you on the correct sleeping habits/positions specifically suitable for your condition. 

It wouldn't take very long. Yet this is  what we are doing for hours at a time while  we are sleeping. The first exercise demonstrates  the position of your neck  if you are sleeping on your tummy. The second is if you are sleeping on your side. In the first exercise you will notice that you are twisting your neck , which is really bad news for the vertebra, and in both the above exercise, the muscles  are lengthened  on the one side and shortened  on the other for long periods at a time. It's no wonder you suffer from neck pain. These positions could also be contributing  factor to your lower  pain or shoulder pain. 

These  bad habits could  result  in compressed discs, trapped nerve, tension headaches, and more. So what do we do about it? You've taught your body bad habits.  Now you need to undo that. Is it going to take time? Yes. Is it going to take persistence  and determination? Definitely. How do you change a habit? By correcting it. You could go to a Sleep Specialist - which is highly recommended - but here are  a few points  to get you started.

Sleeping on your tummy:

Now it is not recommended to sleep on your tummy at all, but it is  really difficult to correct a lifetime habit. So while  training your muscles in the correct habit-

Sleeping on your tummy:

 Now it is not recommended  to sleep on your tummy  at all, but it is difficult to correct a lifetime habit -  

• Sleep with a flat pillow, or no pillow at all.

Sleeping on your side:

• Make  sure your pillow offers enough support for the gap  between your shoulders and your neck.
• Sleep with a pillow between your legs to keep the hips aligned.
• Sleep with a pillow ( or a rolled towel / blanket) under your waist to keep your spine supported. 

Sleeping on your back:

This is the most recommended position to sleep in