How Your Sleep Position Affects Back Pain.

If you deal with lower back pain, neck pain, or general aches, your sleep position and pillow choice might be part of the problem. A few adjustments to how you sleep can go a long way toward easing that discomfort.

The Best Position: Sleeping on Your Back

Sleeping on your back helps maintain a neutral spine, easing pressure on your lower back and neck rather than forcing extra curves into your body. If you sleep on your back, choose a puffy pillow that supports your head and neck without propping you up too much.

The Next Best Option: Sleeping on Your Side

If sleeping on your back isn’t realistic for you, side sleeping is the next best choice. It also keeps your spine elongated and free of extra curves, and it has the added benefit of reducing acid reflux and snoring. Choose a pillow that fills the space above your shoulder, so your head and neck stay in a neutral position.

Positions Worth Avoiding

Sleeping curled up in a fetal position, with your knees pulled tight and your chin tucked, can set you up for chronic back and neck pain over time. A simple fix is to straighten out and sleep more in a side position instead, using the same type of pillow you’d use for side sleeping.

Sleeping on your stomach is the position to avoid altogether. It makes a neutral spine nearly impossible and puts extra pressure on your nerves and joints. Irritated nerves can lead to pain, numbness, and tingling, and keeping your neck turned to one side for seven or eight hours of sleep, on top of the pressure it places on your lower back and hips, adds up to real discomfort.

How you sleep has a lot to do with how you feel during the day. Retraining yourself into a better position takes some time, but it’s usually well worth the effort.