Here is How You Can Sleep on Your Back

Ways to sleep on your back and why

Sleeping positions for a night of better sleep is very vital. There are mainly three kinds of sleeping positions, sleeping on the back, on your sides and your stomach. Within these three positions, there are other variations, but these three are the basic positions humans oscillate between. There have been a lot of debates as to which of the sleeping positions is better. It is safe to say that sleeping on your stomach is the least recommended position to sleep in.

Sleeping on your sides has its own benefits but the most recommended and beneficial position to sleep in is to sleep on your back. Keep on reading this article to find out all the benefits of why you should sleep on your back and also how can you achieve that. Firstly, why are sleeping positions important? You can sleep the way you want, right? But no, unfortunately, that is not true, your sleeping positions also have an effect on your brain function and not to mention bad sleeping positions lead to body aches and stiffness and which can hinder your sleep. To sum it up, if you do not have a sound sleep your health and mood will also get affected. Hence, everything is linked and has to be paid attention to.

Why sleeping positions are important

Wrong sleeping posture leads to several other problems, listed below.

• Pain in the back and neck: That is a given and you know it very. Bad sleeping posture directly leads to back pain and neck pain, first and foremost. You wake up with a stiff neck or back if you have unfavourable sleeping conditions. This can be a result of your wrong posture or wrong mattress. Your mattress can be having dips and curves at the wrong places and that will ultimately lead to bad positioning of your body. So, it is wise to invest in a good sleeping mattress always. That is kind of an investment for your lifetime.
• Heart problems: Many times there have been cases of cardiac arrests while sleeping. There have been studies that say people with congestive heart failure did not sleep on their left side. Knowing about this could have helped people diagnose their cases much earlier.
• Acid refluxes: People with problems like heartburn and acid refluxes avoid sleeping on their back as it flares up the symptoms causing the stomach acids to flow upwards through your oesophagus rapidly. That can be a very uneasy situation. To avoid that you can adjust your sleeping position. Elevate your head in that case to stop the acid reflux. To avoid it from happening in the first place, try to have an early dinner.
• Healthy Skin: Your sleeping position also helps you in achieving clear and healthy skin. When you sleep on your sides it is in contact with your pillow which takes away the sebum from your skin. Also, when your skin is in contact with the pillow, microbes from the pillow transfer into your skin, thereby damaging it.

How can you sleep on your back?

It is hard to suddenly change your habit and the same goes for your sleeping positions. It takes about three weeks to undergo the change and get used to it. And to do that you will need some extra help too. There are a few methods by which you can change your sleeping habits.

• If you are already a back sleeper yet you wake with back pain and neck pain then first and foremost change your mattress and pillows. And, if your mattress and pillows are fine and it is just you who is the problem then proceed with the following steps.
• Surround yourself with pillows so that you don’t have the space to roll over. Put pillows under your arms that will stop you from turning. Some people adjust the height of their pillow getting it to a height that makes it uncomfortable when they turn. There are many adjustable pillows available in the market, just go and grab them.
• Without using anything extra just by spreading your legs you can adjust your posture. By spreading your legs you make yourself more comfortable than usual and that helps you in sleeping on your back. Spreading of legs also removes your stiffness and is a win-win situation overall.
• Lifting your knees up a little also helps in maintaining the posture. Put pillows or rolled up towels beneath your knees and combine it with spreading your legs.

This will help you in aligning your spine and offer you a better sleeping position. You can also put pillow or towel below your hip that will stop you from turning on your sides.

• Do not have your dinner just before going to sleep. This can cause acid refluxes and all methods may fail if you are having a heart burn, in that case sleeping on your back becomes completely difficult.
• Do some stretching before going to bed. This helps in getting rid of stiffness, hence you do not feel extra discomfort while lying on your back. This will also help you sleep better.

Follow these methods diligently for about three weeks to change your sleeping habits and once you do that, you will be able to see the difference yourself.

How sleeping on your back will help you

• To begin with it will help you get rid of that stubborn back pain that you get everyday after waking up in the morning. That will keep you in a good mood.
• Sleeping your back helps in improving your breathing as opposed sleeping on your sides. When you sleep on your side the diaphragm gets cramped resulting shallow breathing.
• It helps with your sinuses too. When you sleep on your sides mucus gets collected in your sinuses causing congestion. If you sleep on your back with your head tilted up a bit, that will prevent the mucus pool, thus relieving you from sinus pressure.
• Get a clear and wrinkle-free skin. When you sleep with your face on the pillow, it takes away the sebum or oil from your skin thereby making it dry and patchy. Also, the dirt and microbes on the pillow transfers into your skin and cause acne and redness. That is the reason dermatologists advices you to wash your pillow covers once in every two weeks.

In the end everything dials down to good and healthier habits. It might be difficult for you initially but it will also help you in the long run.