How Your Sleeping Position Can Affect Your Body - A Physio’s Perspective

How you sleep can have a positive or negative effect on the body. Lying on your back, or 'supine', is a common sleeping position. It can reduce the pressure on bones and ligaments when the pelvis and spine are aligned in a neutral position. Sleeping on your back can relieve allergies or nasal congestion. Supine sleeping postures have been found to possibly provide relief from lower back pain.

Unfortunately, medical professionals advise against sleeping supine during the final stages of pregnancy due to potential risks. Plus, lying on your back could also lead to snoring, sleep apnoea or worsening reflux symptoms.

Experts recommend sleeping on your side if you are pregnant, due to potential health risks to you and your baby.

Most people sleep on their sides. There are a few advantages to side sleeping, such as reducing heartburn and snoring. Also, side sleeping is beneficial for pregnant women, older people and individuals with back pain and sleep apnoea as it promotes healthy spinal alignment.

Of all the sleeping positions, lying on the stomach or 'prone' position provides the least support to the back and puts greater pressure on the spine, which could lead to pain or delayed recovery from back pain.

What about your pillow?

I often get asked what the best pillow is to sleep with. This is always difficult to answer, because it may depend on your body shape and medical history. Typically, a pillow needs replacing around every two years. You may not think this is very long but if you calculate, a pillow is used around seven hours a night, that is a total of over 2500 hours a year! If you are sleeping on a worn-out pillow, scrunching it or folding it up to get comfortable, this is usually a sign you need a new pillow.

A good pillow will help to support your neck and maintain neutral neck posture. The best pillow for you is the one that feels comfortable to rest your head on, and supports your neck, head and shoulders. If you sleep on your side the pillow should fill the gap between your shoulder and your face keeping your neck in a straight position. To achieve this, you may need more than one pillow.

Medical history, body shape and your preferred sleeping position can all have a contributing factor on how many pillows you should sleep with. It's also worth keeping in mind that your pillow will need replacing every 2 years!