More and more people are choosing to sleep on their sides, almost 75%, while the rest sleep on their backs . However, sleep positions influence more than just hip and legs alignment. The angle of your neck and the placement of your shoulders while you sleep is a major contributor to your day-to-day posture .
Experts say that the important factor to keep in mind when choosing your best sleep position is to maintain the curvature of your lower back because not doing so can lead to spine structural problems and straining . In fact, back pain is the 2nd most common cause of missing work and 3rd most common reason for surgery. Treatment costs for back pain have soared over $50 billion in total .
So here are some tips on how to keep your back in check:
Use a cervical pillow for your head. Most people associate a cervical pillow with materials such as memory foam . However, memory foam uses polyurethane and formaldehyde. Due to the health complications resulting from using memory foam, organic latex is the best material when choosing pillows . Cervical pillows are great for providing excellent neck and cervical spine support while preventing neck spasms or strains.
Use a medium firm mattress . Sleeping on an extra firm mattress prevents your spine from maintaining its normal curvature. A softer mattress allows your body to be held in a way that your shoulders and spine will not be cramped or misaligned .
Use back or leg pillows . Sleeping on your back causes stress on your spine from your knees so place a pillow behind your knees while you sleep. If you sleep on your side, a firm pillow should be placed between the knees to prevent the leg on top from being pulled by gravity and misaligning your legs from your hips . Some people sleep on their stomach which poses stress on their backs from the pull of gravity. To help stomach sleepers, a pillow should be placed between the stomach and pelvis area and the head should lay flat on the mattress itself.
Over recent years, sleep has evolved into more than just laying on a mattress at night. How sleep is performed, the circumstances in which it occurs and many other factors all play a role in whether or not the sleep would be successful or futile.
To make it easier, we offer everything you would need to have a successful night’s sleep: multi-use certified organic latex pillows and certified organic coconut coir mattresses that ensure your back will receive the support it needs to be aligned as well providing just the right amount of comfort to help you sleep the whole night through.
Check out our products on the website or visit our showroom in Pasadena to start creating your perfect sleep setup today!