Have you ever woken up with a kink in your neck? Learn why stomach sleeping posture puts us at the most risk.
One morning my son Chase woke up with a kink in his neck, so I scheduled an appointment for him to see my chiropractor. The doctor told Chase his pain was related to sleeping on his stomach. Even though stomach sleeping is one of the most popular, comfortable sleeping positions to fall asleep in, it creates the greatest health risk, in contrast to side or back sleeping.
Sleep postures can exasperate certain health conditions and negatively impact the way you feel all day long. In my recent blog, “What’s the healthiest sleep position for you?” I explained the pros and cons of each sleep position. I’ve expounded why stomach sleeping isn’t the ideal sleep posture.
- The natural curvature of the spine becomes flattened and keeps your head turned to one side, causing neck pain.
- Blood flow is restricted, which places pressure on your joints and muscles, irritates your nerves and may lead to pain, numbness and tingling.
- Your lungs become restricted, resulting in shallow breathing.
When is stomach sleeping recommended?
Occasionally, sleeping on your stomach can relieve pressure between on your intervertebral discs. As an alternative, consider sleeping without a pillow or using a body pillow to alleviate the circulation and pressure issues.
How can I stop sleeping on my stomach?
Traditionally, pillows were the only option to support the body in a particular sleep position. Unfortunately, when we are asleep, it’s too easy to remove the pillows. That’s one of the reasons why our first product here at iSleepFit™ is designed to gently keep you in your desired sleeping position.
This first product, the iSleepFit™ Posture Belt, is worn around your waist and uses three anti-rolling spheres to discourage you from rolling into a different sleep position. These spheres can be adjusted to encourage either a back, side or stomach sleeping position.
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